loo ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS. 



As the evening advanced I changed flies, and selected 

 what I have long known by the sobriquet of "the 

 drummer ; " it is composed thus : the mottled feathers 

 of the peacock's wing, with a few strands of golden 

 pheasant for wings ; body, light brown fur of the bear 

 next the hide, mixed with orange-sable fur and gold- 

 coloured mohair ; gold tinsel, loosely but regularly 

 wrapped with blood or claret coloured hackle round 

 the shoulder, and ordinary red hackle lower down. 

 This fly has always been with me a great favourite, 

 more particularly if the water is clearing out after 

 rain, and with confidence I recommend it ; at the 

 same time I would have two or three sizes, the choice 

 to be dictated by the size of water, colour, and hour. 

 Some persons, in addition, have forked it with two or 

 three hairs of the squirrel for tail ; and a very worthy 

 friend and admirable fly-fisher, whose success was a 

 guarantee of his skill, used to affirm, that when fish 

 wouldn't rise at " the drummer/' you might as well go 

 bed. As the results will show, my couch was not 

 put in requisition, for ere many minutes I touched 

 a splendid fish, but unfortunately didn't hold him. 

 After a few minutes without success, I moved a very 

 heavy fish without touching him. Again I gave him 

 a chance, and he tumbled over the fly like a porpoise, 

 without any apparent inclination to take. The third 



