5 4 Tr outing- Flies, 



mature existence. When it comes out of the pupa, 

 it takes to the reeds on the river-side, and is always 

 found on that bank towards which the wind blows. 

 Its habitat is thus chiefly on sluggish streams, 

 bordered by rushes, where the May-fly is not to 

 be met with. After a few days' existence as the 

 green drake, it reaches a still further development ; 

 the male fly becomes the black drake, and the 

 female the grey drake. In these later stages, how- 

 ever, it is not so valuable a fly as when it first ap- 

 pears the bright colours, as in the case of the May- 

 fly, being most in demand. And, as Mr Wood in his 

 ' British Insects ' remarks on this fly, " the angler 

 need care only for the female insects, because the 

 fish prefer them, laden as they are with eggs, to 

 the males, which have little in them but air." 



When the natural fly cannot be had, I have re- 

 course to the artificial, which is made up thus : The 

 wing is dressed with a feather from the breast of 

 the wild drake, dyed a pale yellow by means of 

 fustic in a weak solution of alum ; the body, with 

 hog's-down dyed pale yellow, sparingly put on, and 

 ribbed with brown silk. A light-yellow hackle is 

 wound over it. Hook No. 7 or 8. 



12. The Black Ant. This is a somewhat large 

 fly, with a black body and a light dun-coloured 

 gauze-like wing. It appears in June or July, ac- 

 cording to the season, and lasts till the end of 



