xxx THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



the human eye is often deceptive. Does not even a 

 chalk-stream seem clouded in a pool with a muddy 

 bottom? It does; yet the same water flowing over 

 sand or gravely just afterwards, is seen to be 

 pellucid. 



All matters such as these, however, are properly to 

 be left to the consideration of the reader. He that 

 has the honour of being asked to write an Introduction 

 to a work so well reputed as " The Practical Angler " 

 should not set to himself the task of the reviewer. 



It remains to comply with the Publisher's wish that 

 the flies used by Mr. Stewart should be presented in 

 colour. I will make a list of the lures, specifying the 

 dressings ; send it to Mr. P. D. Malloch, Perth 

 asking him to make flies according to the written 

 patterns ; and have plates of the images inset just 

 before the opening chapter. I have thought of Mr. 

 Malloch because, besides being familiar with all the 

 waters in which Mr. Stewart flshed, he is a learned 

 naturalist and one of the most expert of anglers. Mr. 

 Stewart was somewhat empirical as regards both the 

 textures and the sizes of his lures. He did not think 

 it necessary that an artificial fly should invariably 

 resemble a real one, and was disposed to flout the idea 

 that imitations of all the real flies were desirable. 

 Lures without wings, or with spent wings, he spoke 

 about as " spiders? Now known as " spinners" they 

 are imitations of flies that have been laying eggs and 

 have had their wings tattered in passing through the 

 water. Mr. Stewart used large flies when the water 

 was rough or discoloured^ and less large when it was 



