ARTIFICIAL MAY FLIES 165 



of the shade you prefer : it should be, as I have said, of a pale 

 olive-green. The great object is to keep your fly floating ; 

 the feathers should therefore be tied, not in a mass, but two 

 single feathers of the requisite size being selected they should 

 be tied on back to back with the curve natural to the feathers 

 expanding outwards ; the wings will thus, if dry, support the 

 fly on the surface. The angler will always do well to have 

 one or two different patterns in his box (for they should not 

 be squeezed up flat in a book or their floating properties will 

 soon be destroyed). He should, moreover, have them of one 

 or two different sizes, the hooks varying from Nos. 3 or 4 to 6, 

 and being always of the lightest and finest wire, and dressed 

 on good fine round olive-green gut.* 



Among the ordinary flies that are sold there are not many 

 floating patterns better for work than that sold by Hammond, 

 of Winchester. The body is a light lemon-coloured fur, or a 

 short fibred ostrich herl, stained of the proper colour, and 

 laid on thinly. This is ribbed with fine gold wire or lightish 

 red hackle, dressed from shoulder to tail. The tail, three 

 whisks of a dark blue (almost black) hackle. Wings, two 

 small mallard feathers stained of a darkish olive, or two 

 brownish wood-duck feathers, and set on back to back over 

 the shoulder a couple of turns of a grey partridge hackle ; 

 but as this is rather too white, I generally dip it in strong tea 

 for a few minutes, which takes off the whiteness. This is a 

 capital fly, and I have killed many good baskets of fish with it. 

 There is no better pattern for the Hampshire streams. 



On many lakes, particularly in Ireland, the May fly season 

 is the only one when really good sport is to be had with the fly. 

 The green drake I chiefly use is one which is of my own fancy. 

 I employ the cork body, with floss silk rings previously men- 

 tioned. Instead of silk or herl I touch the tail part with shel- 

 lac varnish, as being a much better imitation of the brown 

 patch than either of the others. Tail, two whisks of brown 

 mallard ; legs, ginger or buff Cochin hackle ; and wings, 

 four hackle points, two long and two short, for the superior 

 and inferior wings or poisers, dressed well outwards, so as to 

 support the fly on the water. These hackles should be the 

 grizzled and blue dun hackle found on the Andalusian cock ; 

 those which have a brilliant transparent point, on being held 

 up to the light, being preferred for the superior wings. They 

 should be stained a pale yellow, and this on the blue ground 



* Flies for dry fishing are now invariably dressed on eyed hooks. ED. 



