194 AN ANGLER'S RAMBLES 



desideratum is simplicity, which one can never arrive at by 

 swelling it out with imitation after imitation of those countless 

 forms of insect life which disport themselves, three-fourths of the 

 year through, on the surface and banks of our trouting-streams. 

 A well- reputed and properly tested artificial fly, even although 

 it has no feature in common with what it may have originally 

 been intended to represent, should always, on the ground of its 

 services, be held in consideration by the angler. It was on this 

 principle that the Professor favoured the realization of a fly- 

 stock, upon which to depend for sport, anywhere and everywhere, 

 throughout Scotland. 



As the medium, to a limited extent, of getting it up, I was 

 honoured a few years before his death with a request to select, 

 or rather give an order for, and superintend the dressing of a 

 gross of artificial trouting-flies, which should comprehend most of 

 the specimens approved of on Tweedside. As an expert and 

 ready hand, I employed James Wright of Sprouston, describing 

 to him by the assistance of his specimen-book what was likely to 

 give satisfaction. In point of variety, my selection was limited 

 to a dozen sorts or thereabouts, two or three sizes of each, rang- 

 ing on the Adlington scale from No. up to No. 7 or 8. There 

 were comprised in it the spring-flies, white-tips, and the three 

 varieties of March-brown ; black, red, dun, partridge and grouse 

 hackles ; peacock-tail, fur and silk bodies, with their appendages 

 in the shape of wing, taken from the woodcock, starling, mallard, 

 landrail, lark, etc., etc. This selection, with which the late Pro- 

 fessor expressed himself highly pleased, was, I have reason to 

 believe, shortly afterwards drawn upon and put to the test on the 

 Pochart near Luib, and Loch Awe, not far from Port Sonachan. 

 The results are recorded in his own words in the Memoir of his 

 Life by Mrs. Gordon. It was the last occasion on which the 

 sporting jacket of this great and gifted man, an athlete in body 

 as well as mind, was donned, or his magical wand waved over 

 terrestrial river. 



