THE SUIR 307 



the Suir, tied to suit the water, large or small, and with the silk 

 body either blue, with blue hackle, or yellow or dark orange 

 over dark purple or dark mauve-coloured silk ; in this manner 

 it can be varied to suit any taste ; you must use argus pheasant 

 hackle round the shoulders. Both these flies are tied by my- 

 self, and have killed many fish. 



" The little grey fly is also famous to the Suir, and the other 

 flies I have found very good on the Nore." 



No. i. Tag, silver tinsel and orange-yellow floss ; tail, sprigs 

 of bastard bustard and ibis ; butt, black ostrich ; body, red 

 plum-coloured floss ; silver twist ; light orange hackle, argus 

 pheasant hackle at shoulder ; wing, a good bunch of green 

 peacock herl, with strips of brown turkey with dun points 

 mixed, one topping over all ; black head ; hook No. 5. 



No. 2 has a similar body and hackles ; a topping for tail, 

 and lemon tag ; a small tippet feather for under wing, a little 

 green peacock, some brown mallard, and a strand or two of 

 gallina and grey mallard, stained yellow, with blue macaw ribs. 

 See, for the varying of these two flies, Mr. Staples' letter. Hook 

 No. 10. 



No. 3. The grey fly referred to is not much bigger than a 

 trout fly; tag, silver tinsel; tail, a topping; butt, black 

 ostrich ; body, a turn of orange floss, and the rest silver-grey 

 fur ; very pale yellow hackle at shoulder only ; wing, a few 

 sprigs of small tippet, brown mallard over it, and yellow gallina 

 over that (wing rather thin) ; black head. The size of the flies 

 must be varied to suit the water. 



Subsequently I received other flies through Mr. Brady, 

 for the early spring fishing ; I select two. In spring, the 

 bodies are tied roughly of pig's wool ; silk bodies come in 

 later, and comprise either orange, yellow, or green, with a red 

 hackle. 



No. 4. Tag, gold tinsel, and bright yellow pig's wool ; tail, 

 a strand or two of bustard, gold pheasant tail, red parrot and 

 mallard; body, medium blue pig's wool (dressed large and 

 rough) ; silver tinsel ; blue jay hackle at shoulder ; wing, 

 peacock herl (the blue eye of the feather forming the butt end 

 of the wing) ; head, rough, and of yellow pig's wool. 



No. 5. Tag, silver tinsel, and black pig's wool ; tail, green 

 peacock herl, some tippet and blue macaw ; body, one-third 

 dirty brown red, better than another third of dirty olive- 

 yellow pig's wool, the rest black ; gold tinsel ; wing, peacock 



