212 FLY FISHING 



salmon and sea trout flies, but as the eye dwells 

 upon the patterns of flies, almost each in turn 

 seems so attractive as to be indispensable. How 

 often have I gone into a tackle shop to make 

 provision for a spell of fishing in Scotland, and 

 entered it with fairly distinct ideas of the limits, 

 both in number and variety of flies that were 

 wanted ; and how often have these limits ex- 

 panded and at last dissolved altogether under 

 the genial influence of the display of flies upon 

 the counter. The number of seemingly indis- 

 pensable patterns increases as the sheets of flies 

 are spread before me ; so too does the number 

 of seemingly indispensable sizes of each pattern, 

 and at last I emerge, exhausted by the struggle 

 of selection, alarmed at the amount of my 

 purchases or my order, and yet uneasy for fear 

 it should not be large enough and I have omitted 

 the one thing needful after all. 



Now assuming for the moment that there ever 

 is such a thing amongst salmon and sea trout 

 flies as the one thing needful, it is true that the 

 larger the collection of flies in the angler*s box 

 or boxes, the more chance is there of this one 

 thing being included : but, on the other hand, it 



