66 FISHING IN EDEN 



certain principles. For instance, that the flies 

 should be lightly and neatly dressed with carefully 

 selected feathers from the necks, wings, tails, and 

 breasts of all kinds of birds, and that the body 

 dressing (if required at all) could be obtained from 

 such beasts as hares, rats, and moles; that feathers 

 should be soft ; that hair should be long, round, and 

 transparent ; that gut should be round and fine ; that 

 hair was generally better than gut for fly fishing; 

 that three flies on a cast were sufficient, and that, 

 at times, two, farther apart, were better still; that 

 the shape and size of flies was most important in 

 facing the question of imitation of natural insects; 

 that, having discovered the taking fly on a cast, to 

 promote it immediately to the tail, where it would 

 be most effective; that spider flies suit the Eden 

 best ; that all the season through there are more flies 

 resembling the Light Snipe and Water-hen than 

 anything else on the waters of the Upper Eden; 

 that the Light Snipe, Partridge and Orange, and 

 Water-hen, are the most useful in March and April ; 

 that the Light Starling is useful after the beginning 

 of May; that the Partridge and Orange is a better 

 general fly on the Eden than the March Brown, 

 and serves the same purpose. 



Further, that, given good power of casting, with 

 or without, or against, wind, and suitable flies and 



