THE GREEX DRAKE. 221 



those of the green drake, or mallard's grey speckled feather 

 stained pale olive-yellow ; legs, a honey dun hackle. I 

 have had good sport with this fly. It sometimes also 

 makes a very useful fly for evening fishing for trout. 



The needful flies for May are the alder and the little 

 blue. The stone and the pale evening dun and the little 

 yellow May fly are not general, but are useful where they 

 prevail. The list is short, because most of the flies for 

 last month are best for this. 



JUNE. The May Fly or Green Drake, called in Wales 

 theCadow (see Plate VII. fig. l,p. 185). This famous fly 

 usually makes it first appearance in the last week in May, 

 but is most abundant during the first fortnight of June. 

 The swarms of May fly which are found in some rivers in 

 favourable seasons are perfectly marvellous. Fish, birds, 

 and other creatures, prey on them incessantly from their 

 birth ; and yet their numbers seem inexhaustible, and after 

 a warm sunny day the quiet corners and still eddies may 

 be seen smothered with them to such an extent that the 

 angler might, if he chose, sweep them up by teaboards 

 full at a time. It is most abundant just before its dis- 

 appearance, and on the last two days what is called the 

 4 great rise ' takes place, when they come out more thickly 

 than ever, and after this but a few stragglers are seen ; 

 and the trout, for some days gorged and glutted with the 

 unwonted excess, are torpid and disinclined to move. In 

 this nature seems to assist them, as very few flies come on 

 the water immediately after the May fly. 



The green drake is, as I have said, an imperfect insect, 

 the female becoming the grey drake and the male fly 

 the black, or, as it is sometimes called, the death drake, 

 this term being used from a foolish belief that it kills 

 the female or grey drake. Many anglers hold it to be 

 next to useless to attempt to use the artificial fly when 

 the May fly is well on ; but this belief is very erroneous, 



