THE LAXFORD 271 



body, three turns of orange floss, the rest dirty olive-brown 

 mohair ; gold tinsel and silver twist ; hackle, golden olive, 

 medium blue at shoulders ; wing, dark turkey, or cock pheasant 

 tail, over that fibres of bustard, and bright bastard bustard, 

 brown mallard and a plentiful admixture of green swan sprigs ; 

 head red. 



Switching Sandy. Tag, silver^tinsel and light orange-red 

 floss; tail, a topping and tippet sprigs; butt, black ostrich 

 herl ; body, three turns of dark blue floss, two of yellow-green 

 floss, the rest of rather a blue-green wool ; gold tinsel ; light 

 yellow-green hackle with a darker blue-green on shoulder ; 

 wing, gold pheasant tail, the same dyed pinkish, shreds of 

 brown mallard, wood-duck and bastard bustard, blue and 

 yellow green swan sprigs ; black head. The body and hackle 

 of this fly are so like the Highlander, that it will be found 

 to kill on the Ness, the Carron, the Blackwater, the Garry, 

 and many other Ross and Sutherlandshire rivers ; on many 

 of these rivers, greens are in favour ; other very favourite 

 flies for Thurso are, the Britannia, the Childers, the Namsen, 

 the Butcher, and Major. Sizes from 4 to 9 or 10. 



THE LAXFORD 



Patterns also from Farlow's. 



The Lascelles. Tag, silver twist, and lemon-yellow^ floss ; 

 tail, a topping, teal and mauve macaw sprigs; butt, black 

 ostrich herl ; body, half lemon-yellow floss, and half pig's 

 wool of the same colour ; silver twist, with black silk beside it, 

 as in the Colonel ; hackle, brown claret (this is what I con- 

 sider fiery brown, only, as I have said, I fear the fate of Martin 

 Kelly, if I attempt to decide this awful shade of mystery), 

 speckled gallina on shoulder ; wing, a gold pheasant rump 

 and a saddle feather, sprigs of gold pheasant tail, and bastard 

 bustard, yellow and blue sprigs, with a few fibres of gold 

 pheasant sword feather, over all a good slice of gallina ; head 

 black. Size 9 and 10. 



The next fly has no name, and as that is a very inconvenient 

 hiatus, particularly as it would be a capital general fly, I call it. 



The Laxford. Tag, gold twist ; tail, one topping ; body, 

 gold-coloured floss silk ; hackle, bright yellow ; silver tinsel 

 and gold twist ; darkish blue hackle at shoulder ; wing, a 

 lump of peacock, over it sprigs of bustard and bastard bustard, 

 topping over all, and blue macaw ribs ; black head. Size 9 

 and 10. 



