THE ALDER FLY 167 



' handsome is as handsome does,' then its worth 

 is great, and its want of grace and colour may be 

 ignored, for at times a good artificial imitation 

 will work wonders, even though the mayflies, 

 siren - like, may do their utmost to beguile 

 the trout from the consideration of more homely 

 qualities. 



It is, perhaps, rather during the evening that 

 the alder possesses greater attractions for the fish 

 than in the brighter hours of the day, though I 

 have not infrequently done well with it in brilliant 

 sunshine and on the hottest days. Perhaps, like 

 the faded beauty, * in the dusk, with the light 

 behind her/ the commonplace appearance of the 

 alder is more readily overlooked in consequence 

 of the valuable addition she forms to the supper 

 menu of the trout. 



The alder varies very considerably in size ; 

 Theakstone gives from half to five-eighths of an 

 inch as the average length. I have seen a 

 few specimens, generally in the early part of 

 the season, of double that length. It gene- 

 rally makes its first appearance on the water 

 in April, and continues throughout May and 

 June. 



The best dressings of this fly with which I am 

 acquainted are as follows : 

 Wings : From the centre tail feather of a hen 



pheasant. 



