260 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



" The following eccentricity is reckoned excellent as a 

 change, and I know it does good work. 



" Tag, gold tinsel ; tail, topping ; body, half yellow, half 

 pea-green pig's wool, dressed spare ; gold tinsel ; green hackle 

 over green pig's wool ; grouse at shoulder ; wings, brown 

 mallard ; between which a bright blue hackle ; over them one 

 topping ; head, black ostrich. Hook 8 to 9. About as ugly a fly 

 as you will find. 



" The upper waters of the Cree and the Minnick are pro- 

 tected, but the lower and better part is netted. The Bladenoch 

 is preserved by an association, but the Luce is terribly netted ; 

 the fish slaps are sometimes built up, and in short a general 

 state of neglect and ignorance of what is law prevails. As to 

 the stake netting in the Solway, into which these rivers 

 debouch, I need not tell you that the Scotch shore fairly bristle 

 with nets ; it is a marvel fish get through and up at all. 



" There are other streams in Ayrshire and up the West coast, 

 which have their peculiar flies, but were you to notice all the 

 rivers, your book would swell to two or three volumes on 

 salmon alone, which I presume is not your intention. 



" HERBERT MAXWELL." 



Mr. Maxwell very kindly subsequently sent me the follow- 

 ing : 



" Add to the Minnick flies for a low bright water the follow- 

 ing, known as the " Dusty Miller." 



' Tag, silver tinsel, dark olive floss ; tail, one topping ; butt, 

 black ostrich ; body, embossed silver timsel, gold thread ; 

 dark olive hackle, gallina at shoulder ; wing, gold pheasant 

 tail, mallard, teal, green parrot and lavender swan, jungle cock 

 at cheek ; head black. Hook 9 to n. (Plate XIX, Fig. 2.) 



THE AYRSHIRE STINCHAR 



" Is a fine water ; if the nets were off, I doubt not it would be 

 the best in the West. The nets are, I believe, to be regulated in 

 future, by the proprietor, Lord Stair, a keen fisher. I have 

 never fished it, but he told me the other day he had four fish, 

 weight seventy-six pounds. Large Dee flies are used there, 

 and a curious dun turkey, with a second pair of wings half-way 

 down the body."* 



* The plan is common on the Tay, and is employed when very long hooks 

 are used, and when the fly dresser has not any feathers by him long enough 

 in the fibre to make the wing. He then takes two short fibres, and by allow- 

 ing one to overlap the other the requisite effect is produced. F. F. 



