THE BLACK GNAT 181 



frequently, alas ! the fish take it, and will look at 

 nothing else ; but it is so small that the best 

 imitation falls short of the natural fly. Moreover, 

 when it is necessary to use a hook so minute 

 as ooo, it is impossible to rely on hooking a fish 

 of any size, even should the tiny barb .penetrate 

 the skin. I think it is preferable to use a somewhat 

 larger hook, oo or even o, and trust to the chance 

 of inducing a fish to take it. 



Occasionally one hears of a fairly good basket 

 being taken with this fly, and once, when fishing 

 on a small private lake in the North of England, I 

 succeeded in taking some seven or eight fairly 

 good fish with it. The only patterns which I 

 had with me were dressed on No. i hooks. Last 

 autumn (1891) I took three fairly good trout with 

 it one morning on my own river ; but I never 

 succeeded in repeating the performance, though 

 the natural fly was on in numbers, and the fish 

 were taking it freely. 



The following are the best dressings of this fly 

 with which I am acquainted : 



i. 



Wings : Pale starling wing-feather. 

 Hackle : A small black feather from the neck of 



a starling. 



Body : Black tying-silk waxed, or a strip of black quill. 

 Tag : One turn of fine flat silver tinsel. 



Hook oo. 



