FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 73 



most southern streams, and whose u fail-me-never " 

 is the only fly suitable for the water because they 

 expect to be well paid for it take care to have their 

 flies dressed on fine gut. 



Such a difference does the gut make, that if an 

 angler will take two threads of gut of the same 

 thickness, but one of a glossy white colour, and the 

 other clear and transparent, and dress two flies upon 

 them exactly alike, the fly dressed on the clear gut 

 will kill two trout for one which the fly dressed on 

 the white gut will. The shape of the fly will also 

 make a great difference, and really practical anglers, 

 such as all those who make their living by it are, do 

 not put a third of the feathers on their flies that some 

 town-made ones have. 



We have frequently got flies, which, we were 

 assured, were exact imitations of some fly on the 

 water at the time, and which the donors were certain 

 would kill more trout than any other, but on trying 

 them we did not find them so deadly as those we 

 were using ; and they killed quite as well, and some- 

 times better, two months before the natural fly came 

 on the water, or two months after it was gone. We 

 think it just possible that when a large fly, such as 

 the green drake, remains a long time on the water, 

 trout may recognise it, and when the waters are dark 

 coloured and there is a strong breeze of wind, take an 

 imitation of it more readily than any other. But in 

 our own experience we have never found this to be 

 the case ; and though we have frequently tried this 

 fly so celebrated on English streams we have 



