FLOATING FLIES 77 



fly-box, as when the natural fly is on the water 

 something closely resembling it is indispensable ; 

 the winged variety will be preferable on the streams, 

 the hackled pattern on the pools. The latter is 

 also a useful lure to throw at a venture before or 

 after the rise. Even in midsummer, whenever the 

 weather is cold or boisterous, and again in Sep- 

 tember, when there is a hatch of Ephemeridce so 

 similar to Iron-Blues as to be indistinguishable from 

 them, we do well with both these flies. 



One of the best known dry-flies is the Red Quill, 

 which was in all likelihood intended originally to 

 represent the female Olive imago, but the heavy, 

 opaque wings of the artificial, its customary dress, 

 are not at all comparable with the marvellously 

 delicate wings of the living insect. Consequently 

 we have had the wings removed altogether, and now 

 we have a fly which is certain to deceive many fine 

 trout during the earliest part of a fine summer 

 evening. 



We have now arrived at the period of calm, bright 

 days and warm, still evenings, when the water is 

 generally at its lowest level and the trout at the 

 height of their wariness. Spinners or imagines are 

 usually alone in evidence, and it behoves the angler 

 to use none but his most delicate lures. 



Winged flies may now be discontinued altogether 

 or limited to rough streams and to occasional days 

 of northerly or easterly winds and low temperature, 

 when slight hatches of duns already mentioned may 

 occur; and in their stead under more probable 

 conditions the dainty hackled flies will keep the 

 angler happy. Of these we give the place of honour 

 to the Blue Hen Spider. It is an intensely fascina- 



