CHAP. vii. Flies. 125 



same peacock harl from the eyeless tail feathers to make it shiny. In 

 the smallest fly on No. 5 Kirby the almost black blue from the wing of 

 the mallard or magpie may be preferred to simple black. 



For Mahseer I use 2/0 and 2 of my Limerick scale, and more 

 generally No. 2. Some use 6/0 and 7/0; and one excellent fisherman 

 I know delights specially in No. 3. But I think 2/0 and 2 are your 

 best sizes, especially the latter, and that if you want anything bigger 

 than 2/0 you should use a fish bait. For Carnatic Carp the same fly 

 on No. 5 and 6, my Limerick scale, but more generally No. 6, for the 

 tail and first drop fly. For the second drop, the same just a size 

 smaller. It is convenient to have it tied on a different sort of hook so 

 that it may catch your eye quickly, when selecting it for the drop fly, 

 so, say No. 9 Kirby. This last may be tied on a single salmon gut, 

 but it and all others are the better for being on eyed hooks. 



THE COCK-O'-THE-WALK. 



Of this fly all that K. says is, " By far the most deadly fly indeed 

 the only one that appears to tempt them was Madras jungle cock 

 feathers in the wings : if with silver body all the better." Say the same 

 size as for Blackamoor. 



THE SMOKY DUN. 



This fly is of one colour all over, a smoky dun colour, the colour 

 say of the smoke ascending from a damp wood fire, a dusky fisherman's 

 blue or ash colour with just a perceptible touch of light dull yellow or 

 dun in it. Wings and body the same, with a tag and three or four 

 turns of silver twist, and a tail of peacock's back feather. Size the 

 same as for Blackamoor. 



For Mahseer I fish with a single fly as for salmon ; for Carnatic 

 Carp with a collar of two or even three flies as for trout, but a collar of 

 single salmon gut. 



For the benefit of those who are newly compelled in. India to tie 

 their own flies, I may mention that the hook of all salmon or Mahseer 

 flies will of course be tied, not on single gut, as in the case of a trout 

 fly, but on stout salmon gut doubled, so as to leave at the head a short 



