OLD SPEY FLIES. 67 



successful in the summer months and early 

 autumn, but much must be left to the judgment 

 of the fisherman himself; there is no rule with- 

 out an exception, and I have frequently found it 

 necessary, after a moderate rise of the water, to 

 employ flies twice as large as those which I had 

 found of faultless dimensions but a few days before. 

 The following is a list of old Spey flies. To 

 every fisherman on the river it will be sufficient to 

 say that the descriptions are taken from specimens 

 tied by that accomplished artist, Shanks, of Craig- 

 ellachie, of whom Mr. Barney Maguire, if he 

 had ever visited the Spey, might perhaps have 

 sung : 



There's Mister Shanks too, upon the banks too, 

 Och that's the fellow that can throw a loine, 

 A clever boy too, he can tie a floy too, 

 For art and practice he does both comboine. 



OLD SPEY FLIES. 



N.B. The dubbing or bodies of all these 

 flies is composed of Berlin wool. 



GOLD SPEAL. Is generally on a large hook. 

 Body black, with only two or three turns of 

 very broad gold flat tinsel and with a single 

 turn of fine silver beading between the bars 



