300 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



make the fly expensive to dress. Probably an orange body 

 would answer all requisites, as orange is in favour on the 

 Shannon. 



The next three flies are dressed by Stephen Ellis, of Killaloe, 

 one of the best practitioners on the Shannon in that part, and 

 they are considered the best patterns which can be put on the 

 river. 



No. 2. Tag, silver tinsel and orange floss ; tail, one large 

 topping ; body, darkish blue floss, silver tinsel ; blue jay 

 hackle half-way down the body ; wing, a deep red-orange 

 feather (cock of the rock might do) about the length of the 

 hook, on either side of this two shorter orange-yellow macaw 

 feathers, and a smallish tippet outside of them, over these an 

 orange hackle, and over this four or five large toppings, over 

 these some gold pheasant tail and gallina sprigs (loose), 

 blue macaw ribs ; medium orange ruff of mohair ; hook 

 No. 4. 



No. 3. Tag, silver tinsel and medium green floss ; tail two 

 orange-yellow toucan feathers (short) ; body, brightish orange 

 floss, silver tinsel ; brown olive hackle, a turn or two of blue 

 jay at shoulder ; wing, a short cock of the rock, and two short 

 orange-yellow macaw or toucan feathers, these not quite so 

 long as the hook, over them mixed sprigs of gallina stained 

 yellow, blue, and red macaw ; head black ; hook No. 9. 



No. 4 is a fly with a similar body, tinsel, and hackle, with 

 a couple of small yellow toucan feathers for tail, and a wing of 

 mixed yellow stained mallard, tippet, gallina, and red and 

 lavender macaw ; black head ; hook No. 10. 



These two flies are rather grilse flies ; but a size or two 

 larger, they do equally well for salmon. The list is rather a 

 short one, but Mr. Hurley, of Killaloe, who forwards me the 

 patterns, says that 



" They answer for all the stations where fish are killed in 

 any quantity, say Limerick, Castle Connel, and Killaloe. The 

 large fly is only adapted for heavy water, in the very com- 

 mencement of the season, and up to May i. The medium size 

 orange body is in use from that date until June i, according to 

 the height of the water ; the small blue body then comes in for 

 both peal and salmon until the close time." 



I also wrote to Mr. Brady, the inspector of fisheries for 

 Ireland, to ask him for some Shannon patterns, and he sent 

 me several, as the handiwork of Captain C. Dunne, a first-rate 

 angler, and, if I may judge of his productions, a first-rate fly 



