852 THE GLED WING. 



flies used are peculiar, and the local ones are of little use 

 on any other river in Scotland, save perhaps a small size 

 of the Gled Wing, or the Tartan, which may be used for 

 the Don. The flies are usually large, but slenderly dressed, 

 being meant to catch the salmon's eye, I presume, in the 

 deep rough water (which a small fly would not), and not 

 to frighten him, which too gross (gwaae) an imposition 

 perhaps might do. Some of the flies used, as the Eagle 

 (local *aigle;' Atd here I may say that the Aberdeenshire 

 dialect is the worst and most non-understandable to a stran- 

 ger of any in Scotland ; for though tolerably experienced, 

 I never could understand half my gillies said when they 

 were conversationally inclined during my visits there) I 

 say, the ' aigle ' is little more marvellous as a fly than the 

 dialect is as a dialect ; and if we might liken some flies to 

 shrimps and prawns, and others to butterflies and dragon- 

 flies, the Eagle completely knocks all such possibilities on 

 the head, as it is like nothing on, over, or under the earth 

 or water that I know of. The Dee flies are dressed upon 

 hooks specially made for them : these are very long in the 

 shank, with the Limerick bend. The large class of flies 

 run from about No. 2 in the given scale, down to No. 6, 

 but with this condition : the shank of the hook which re- 

 presents the No. 2 size of bend is just an inch longer for 

 the Dee flies, while that of No. 6 is an inch and a half, the 

 intermediate ones being of proportionate length. For 

 smaller flies, ordinary Limerick hooks are used, even down 

 to an ordinary No. 7 or 8 hook. 



The Gled Wing or Red Wing, as it is termed, is perhaps 

 the most useful of the local flies. Tag, silver tinsel ; tail, 

 gold pheasant saddle ; body, one-third orange-yellow, and 

 two-thirds claret, or light purple claret mohair, dressed 

 very sparely ; broadish silver tinsel laid on rather thinly 

 and in long spirals ; black heron's hackle of the largest 

 size, or two, if one will not go far enough, dressed down to 



