76 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



The opinion that it is necessary to imitate the 

 particular fly on the water at the time has recently 

 received the weight of Mr. Francis Francis 1 support, 

 who in advocating what may be called the English 

 theory gives a sort of side-wipe to Scotch anglers 

 the drift of his remarks being, that though a small 

 assortment of flies may do well enough in Scotch 

 streams where little fishing goes on and anglers 

 count their takes by the dozen, it will not answer in 

 the much-fished streams on the other side of the 

 Border, where anglers count their takes by the brace. 

 If Mr. Francis" 1 views as to an exact imitation being 

 necessary in English streams be correct, which we 

 very much doubt, he will require to find some other 

 reason for its being unnecessary in Scotland than 

 this. In comparing the severity of the fishing in 

 Scotch and English streams, it must be borne in 

 mind that the former are, as a rule, open to the 

 public, and that the latter, as a rule, are preserved, 

 and fished only by a favoured few. If Mr. Francis 

 will point out any stream in England, in which he 

 thinks it worth while to throw a fly for trout, that 

 is more and better fished than Tweed and its tribu- 

 taries, we shall be very much surprised. And on 

 behalf of Scotch anglers we repudiate with scorn the 

 bare idea that it requires less skill to catch a Scotch 

 trout than an English one, or that the former in any 

 way receives an inferior education as regards flies, 

 etc., to his English brother. In fact, we believe that 

 in the before-mentioned streams the education of the 

 inhabitants is as superior to that of the inhabitants 



