The May-Fly. 135 



heads of streams, or on the grassy banks, if there 

 is no dew. Later on in the morning, under the 

 heat of the sun, they disperse over the channel 

 beds, and are not so readily found. There is another 

 advantage (already alluded to) in gathering them 

 at early dawn : the newly hatched insects are then 

 of the bright yellow colour most in demand with the 

 trout. As the day advances, they become more som- 

 bre in their hue, and consequently not so readily 

 distinguishable from those hatched at an earlier 

 period, which are too brittle for the angler's purpose. 

 In the full assurance of doing great execution 

 with them, the angler should collect a supply 

 sufficient for all that day's needs. With the battle 

 all his own, it must be irritating in the extreme 

 to run short of ammunition : so let him provide 

 abundance. The insects are frequently carried in 

 a tin-case, perforated to admit the air, and fur- 

 nished with a lid, and a narrow aperture just suf- 

 ficient to allow one fly to come out at a time. The 

 tin, however, gets too readily heated with the sun, 

 causing the flies to flutter about inside, to their 

 certain injury or death. A very small wicker- 

 basket of similar construction would answer better, 

 and could be easily fitted with a strap, or borne 

 as an appendage to the creel ; but, for my part, I 

 prefer to carry the insects in a cotton bag with a 

 little clean moss. 



