58 *LT FISHING. 



hackle to represent the confused state of the wings in flying, which 

 are too fine to be successfully imitated when at a state of repose ; 

 finish off with a few turns of red silk at the head, to represent 

 that part of the insect, which in the male insect is remarkably large 

 in proportion to its size, and crowned with a kind of cap. There 

 is one objection to making the body of this fly of the fibres of the 

 pigeon's feather, which is, that the teeth of the trout are apt to 

 tear them and cause them to become unravelled, for which reason 

 many prefer mole's fur warped on dun coloured silk ; but where 

 persons are capable of making their own flies, I would strongly 

 recommend them to use the pigeon's herls, as they give by far a 

 better representation of the insect. 



To represent this insect in its full dress, the body must be of that 

 kind white floss that has a bluish cast, the tail must be fastened off 

 the end with a turn or two of the finest brown silk, the whisks a 

 pale blue hackle. Immediately under the wings must be a turn or two 

 of a dark peacock herl, and a small dun hackle the palest you can pro- 

 cure must represent the wings, the fibres below being cut off the more 

 effectually to represent the thin gauze -like wing of the insect. 

 These flies being remarkably small must be tied on hooks of a 

 proportionate size, and being of a slender form require to be very 

 neatly made. 



In this respect they form a great contrast with the hawthorn 

 fly, which should be tied up in a clumsy manner in order to repre- 

 sent the insect : a coarse rough looking black fly that may easily 

 be recognized by its singular manner of twisting its stout legs 

 together when in the act of flying, so that they all seem as one, 

 giving the fly something the appearance of possessing two bodies. 

 Swarms of these flies may be discovered playing about the bushes, 

 particularly those from which they derive their name, during the 

 months of May and June, when they are eagerly taken by the 

 trout, especially in windy weather, at which times being frequent- 

 ly blown on the water the fish are then on the look out for them. 

 In the artificial fly the body should be made of black ostrich herl, 

 with a pale dun hackle, (the lower part being cut off) to represent 

 the wings ; the legs should be represented by half a dozen black 

 horse hairs, of a proportionate length, tied at knot at the end and 

 let to hang down like the legs of the insect. I formerly tried to 

 accomplish this by leaving some portion of the end of the ostrich 

 herl, but though this answered to some extent, it was not stiff 



