CHAP. VII. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 431 



grey feather of a mallard. And note, That, besides 

 these above-mentioned, all the same hackles and flies- 

 the hackles only brighter, and the flies smaller that also 

 are taken in April^ will also be taken this month ; as 

 all browns and duns. And now I come to my Stone- 

 Jly and Green-drake; which are the matadores for 

 Trout and Grayling, and in their season kill more fish 

 in our Derbyshire rivers, than all the rest, past and to 

 come, in the whole year besides. 



But first I am to tell you, that we have four several 

 flies which contend for the title of the May-Jig, 

 namely, 



The GREEN-DRAKE, 



The STONE-FLY^ 



The BLACK- FLY, and 



The LITTLE YELLOW MAY-FLY. 



And all these have their champions and advocates, to 

 dispute and plead their priority : though I do not un- 

 derstand why the two last named should ; the first two 

 having, so manifestly, the advantage, both in their 

 beauty, and the wonderful execution they do in their 

 season. 



11. Of these the GREEN-DRAKE comes in about the 

 twentieth of this month, or betwixt that and the latter 

 end ; for they are sometimes sooner, and sometimes 

 later, according to the quality of the year ; but never 

 well taken till towards the end of this month, and 

 the beginning of June. The STONE-FLY cornes much 

 sooner, so early as the middle of April, but is never 

 well taken till towards the middle of May ; and con- 

 tinues to kill, much longer than the green-drake stays 

 with us, so long as to the end almost of June^ and, 

 indeed, so long as there are any of them to be seen 

 upon the water, and, sometimes, in an artificial fly 

 and late at night, or before sunrise in a morning 

 longer. 



Now both these flies and I believe, many others, 

 though 1 think not all are certainly and demonstra- 

 tively bred in the very rivers where they are taken; 



