IMITATION OF THE NATURAL INSECT 153 



to all of the Ephemeridce, in both the dun and 

 perfect states. 



I have a decided preference for winged flies, 

 but that is because they look more like liv- 

 ing insects to me when they are on the water 

 than do hackled flies, and not because I think 

 they appear more natural or lifelike to the fish. 

 In practice I have found that hackled flies 

 are taken quite as readily floating as ever they 

 were when I fished them under water, and 

 it may very well be that the hackle fibres 

 standing out from and around the body on 

 and above the surface of the water are even 

 a better imitation of the wings of the Ephe- 

 meridcz than are the feathers of the winged 

 variety. Certainly a greater amount of light 

 passes through them, and the result may be a 

 better representation of the transparency and 

 neuration of the wings of the natural insect than 

 can be had from the use of artificial wings. At 

 any rate, hackled flies float admirably, and the 

 fish take them freely. And, although the dry 

 fly anglers who use them may feel that some- 

 thing of form and appearance has been sacrificed 

 to utility, their aesthetic sense will probably 

 survive the shock when they find themselves 

 successful even those who insist that their fly 



