ii6 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. 



versions of the blue and red quills), Tup's indis- 

 pensable, and a plain black fly with soft hackles, 

 exactly like the one which the novice has already 

 tied on gut for wet-fly fishing. Three other flies 

 ought perhaps to be added to this list, the iron blue, 

 the silver sedge, and the coachman, a pretty fly with 

 white wings, and, having these, the novice may 

 consider himself very well equipped. In buying 

 dry flies (which cost about 2s. or 2s. 6d. per dozen) 

 it is important to see that they are correctly tied. 



The wings should be short and set well apart, 

 with twice the thickness of feather which is given 

 to wet flies ; the hackles (with the exception of the 

 black fly) should be stiff and wiry, and the general 

 effect should be one of perkiness very different 

 from the soft, drooping nature of a wet fly. The 

 latter is not expected to remain on the top of the 

 svater, the former is ; more, it is even required to 

 balance itself on its hackles and float with its 

 wings evenly spread and well out of the water. 

 Therefore, the stiffness of the hackles is a vital 

 point. Some flies are sold to the unwary as dry 

 flies because they have double wings, and without 

 prejudice to the fact that their hackles are as flabby 

 as strands of silk ; but they are nothing but 

 vexation for dry-fly fishing, while they have too 

 much wing to be satisfactory as wet flies. Let the 



