Flies for May. 47 



It is dressed with a tail-feather of the hen pheasant, 

 with black hackle, tied with black and blue silk on 

 a No. 2 hook. 



6. The Black Blae, or Iron Blue Dun of some 

 authors. This is a small dark fly of the same 

 order and family as the blae or blue dun. It is in 

 season from the early part of May till the latter 

 end of June. It generally comes on the water on 

 cold days, and then, from the absence of the sand- 

 fly, it is a good killing lure. To imitate every 

 species of the numerous genus of duns would be 

 a fruitless task. What the angler requires is a 

 selection of the best representatives of this ex- 

 cellent fly ; and among the many varieties of it 

 which crowd the streams throughout the season, I 

 consider there is none more deadly than the black 

 blae. After some days' existence in the stage rep- 

 resented, the insect dons a brand-new dress-coat 

 with a long tail, and attains his full development 

 in the well-known "spinning Jenny." In this 

 form also it is doubtless a great favourite with the 

 fish, but the difficulty of imitating perfectly the 

 wonderful delicacy and transparency of the wings 

 is the principal reason why so many anglers dis- 

 card it. For, as I have stated before, an imitation 

 to be thoroughly effective must be perfect ; and 

 the angler had better use a close imitation of a 

 less alluring fly than a poor imitation of a favourite. 



