262 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



prince of dressers for Scottish waters. Also the Butcher 

 (p. 252), and a fly dressed as follows : Tag, silver tinsel ; 

 tail, one topping and red Indian crow, or tuft of floss silk ; 

 body, half lemon yellow, half black mohair or pig's wool, 

 according to size of fly; coch y bondu hackle, with black at 

 shoulder ; mixed wing, of mallard, teal, yellow and lavender 

 swan, and plenty of red macaw, with or without small tippet 

 under, and topping over wing ; head, black herl. 



" But the speciality of both these waters is the dun wing, 

 size from 6 to 12, according to the season." 



THE ABERDEENSHIRE DEE 



There are many Dees in the kingdom, two noted ones in 

 Scotland, and one famous river in England and Wales. That 

 which I here refer to is the chief one, or the Aberdeenshire 

 Dee. It is almost a pattern river for the skilful salmon-fisher, 

 but will not admit of being fished by a muff ; in fact, it is by 

 no means an easy river to fish. The lower reaches, as on the 

 Conon, are not good rising ground, as the salmon run through 

 and rise badly while resting the Aboyne water perhaps being 

 the cream of the Dee.* The casts are rapid rough streams and 

 often heavy, but it is perhaps one of the clearest streams in 

 Scotland. The flies used are peculiar, and the local ones are 

 of little use on any other river in Scotland, save, perhaps, a 

 small size of the Gled Wing, or the Tartan, which may be used 

 for the Don. The flies are usually large, f but slenderly dressed, 

 being meant to catch the salmon's eye, I presume, in the deep 

 rough water, which a small fly would not, and not to frighten 

 him, which too gross (grosse) an imposition perhaps might do. 

 Some of the flies used, as the Eagle (local " aigle " ; and here 

 I may say that the Aberdeenshire dialect is the worst and most 

 non-understandable to a stranger of any in Scotland ; for, 

 though tolerably experienced, I never could understand half 

 my gillies said when they were conversationally inclined during 

 my visits there) I say, the " aigle " is little more marvellous 

 as a fly than the dialect is as a dialect, and if we might liken 

 some flies to shrimps and prawns, and others to butterflies and 



* This does not agree with my experience. If I had my choice of the whole 

 river, I would take the Cairnton or the Woodside water, and excellent sport 

 is often had lower down on the Park and Durris waters. But the Dee is a 

 long river and much depends upon where the early fish rest first after leaving 

 the sea. ED. 



t For spring fishing ; but in summer exceedingly small flies are used. 

 ED. 



