1'i.v, HAMMOND'S MAY FLY. 



yellow to the darkest olive. In size they must be suited 

 to the fly. Choose an even pair, set them back to back so 

 that the points bend outward, and lash them on upright 

 over the back ; and if you like to take a couple of turns of 

 peacock herl for the head, you have the best floating fly 

 that can be made. 



It is as well for the angler to have a selection of shades 

 and also of sizes, as sometimes the fish will take smaller or 

 larger flies. It is not necessary to describe the dressing 

 of many flies. I mention the materials, and the angler 

 must dress them to his taste. 



Among the ordinary flies that are sold there are not 

 many floating patterns better for work than that sold by 

 Hammond, of Winchester, which he calls his Champion. 

 The body is a light lemon-coloured fur, or a short-fibred 

 chenille of a lemon or buff yellow, or even of a bright 

 yellow. This is ribbed with fine gold wire and lightish 

 red hackle, dressed from shoulder to tail. The tail three 

 whisks of a dark blue (almost black) hackle. Wings, two 

 small mallard feathers stained of different hues from a 

 yellowish to a darkish olive, or, two brownish wood-duck 

 feathers, and set on back to back over the shoulder a couple 

 of turns of a grey partridge hackle ; but as this is rather 

 too white, I generally dip it in strong tea for a few minutes, 

 which takes off the whiteness. This is a capital fly, and 

 I have killed many good baskets of fish with it. There 

 are few better patterns for the Hampshire streams. 



For the wet fly I mentioned above I employ a cork 

 body, with floss silk rings. Instead of silk or herl I touch 

 the tail part with shell-lac varnish, as being a much 

 better imitation of the brown patch than either of the 

 others. Tail, two whisks of brown mallard ; legs, ginger 

 or buff Cochin hackle; and wings, four hackle-points, 

 two long and two short, for the superior and inferior 

 wings or poisers, dressed well outwards, so as to support 

 the fly on the water. These hackles should be the grizzled 



