FIXDHOKX FLIES. T,75 



regular bore about five or six feet high, coming down like 

 a race-horse : not a moment was to be lost, and he bolted 

 for the landing-place as hard as his legs would carry him, 

 and he only just reached it, for the little stream, which 

 was not over his ankles five minutes before, was up to his 

 waist before he got out of it, and in another half minute 

 an elephant would have been carried away in it. I was 

 nearly caught once in the same way on the upper part of 

 the Coquet. I mention these facts that anglers may be 

 aware of them when they are fishing Highland rivers. 



The accompanying patterns I obtained from Sir Alex- 

 ander, l who was one of the best amateur tyers in the North. 

 They are all old well-used favourites, and are the result of 

 twenty years' experience. The Findhorn spring flies are 

 rather large and showy not so large as the Dee flies, per- 

 haps, but full large, some of the flies (the largest) being 

 dressed on the ordinary Limerick hook, from No. 2 to No. 

 5. In low bright water they may be used smaller than 

 this. 



No. 1. Tag, gold thread and puce floss; tail, a good- 

 sized topping, some tippet, and a kingfisher feather ; but, 

 black ostrich ; body, lightish claret floss : silver tinsel and 

 gold twist (not together but equidistant) ; hackle, light 

 claret, blue jay at shoulder ; wing, two large tippet 

 feathers, almost the full length of the wing, over it sprigs 

 of gold pheasant tail, a good many sprigs of both red and 

 blue macaw, slips of gled and dark bustard ; on either 

 shoulder, nearly half the length of the wing, the tips of 



1 Poor Sir Alexander. But a very few years since I enjoyed the pleasure 

 of his hospitality in his beautiful residence on the banks of the lovely Find- 

 horn; we fished, tied flies, and held sweet converse upon matters piscatorial, 

 day by day, and I have seldom enjoyed a week more thoroughly than that I 

 spent at Altyre ; he was then apparently in the pride of his strength and 

 the prime of manhood. How beautifully he tied the salmon fly, blending 

 its colours into one harmonious combination, and with what a workmanlike 

 and skilful hand ho hurled it across the waters ! F. F. 



