144 THE BLACK GNAT AND Till- HAWTHORN. 



greedily at the natural fly, they do not greatly favour the 

 imitation, even at the best, as they will do that of flies 

 more easily imitated. 



The Black Gnat. This would be another very useful 

 fly, but is also difficult to imitate from its exceeding di- 

 minutiveness. This fly has been called ' the Fisherman's 

 curse,' because, when the fish are rising at it well, they are 

 said to seldom take the imitation or any other fly. Still 

 I have had a good deal of sport with it, when but a fetu 

 or indeed none of them have been on the water ; I confess, 

 however, when they are on very thickly, and the trout have 

 been taking them freely or almost exclusively, that I have 

 found my imitation, though not altogether useless, yet 

 greatly at a dismount. Nevertheless as I have said, it is 

 occasionally a useful fly, when it dwells rather in the trout's 

 memory than in his eye ; and I know good anglers who 

 are even very partial to the use of it, and who as often 

 put it into their casts as any other fly. Choose your 

 smallest hooks ; take a black ostrich herl, with the shortest 

 fibre you can find ; if not short enough, clip the body, 

 when tied up, with a fine pair of scissors ; two turns of a 

 very small black hackle for legs ; some eschew legs alto- 

 gether it certainly makes the fly less bulky. Wings, two 

 very fine clear slips of a starling's feather, and dressed as 

 low and flat as you can conveniently fix them. The fly is 

 hardly abundant till the warmer suns of May bring it forth, 

 but then it sometimes is very thickly on. 



On a hook three sizes larger put the same dressing, the 

 body being, of course, comparatively stouter, with wings 

 and legs to match, or you may use a dark lead-blue dun 

 hackle, and you have 



The Hawthorn Flyjsee Plate VII. fig. 18, p. 185). A 

 land fly, but at times by no means a useless ally of the 

 angler's where hedges abound. Both the above flies are 

 found more plentifully towards the end of the month. 



