THE PEACOCK FLY 179 



Legs : A hackle stained a dark purple, appearing 

 black when looked down upon, but when held 

 up to the light having a most beautiful dark 

 tortoiseshell hue. 



Hook i or 2 (short). 



Dressed buzz, it is as follows : 



Body : The reddest strand of a peacock's feather. 

 Legs and wings : A lightish dun hackle, tied with 

 mulberry-coloured silk. 



Hook as before. 



Of these two patterns, the former is, to my 

 mind, the better. 



Halford gives a dressing, thus : 



Hackle : Pale-blue dun cock. 



Body : Copper-coloured peacock's herl. 



Hook o or oo. 



However, I infinitely prefer Ronalds' first 

 recipe, which exactly answers to a fly called in 

 Cumberland the 4 broken points ' a strange ap- 

 pellation, and one which is, I feel sure, a corrup- 

 tion of some other name. Nevertheless, by 

 whichever name it may be called, it bears a -very 

 high repute, and in the early part of the season, 

 until the end of May, it is regarded as a sheet- 

 anchor by the Northern anglers. I can personally 

 speak to its utility. There is a story told by the 

 Cumberland people of an old professional fisher- 

 man who regarded this fly with such extreme 



