APRIL. 35 



The checkwing varies from this description, as will be 

 seen afterwards, for she continues into October; in the 

 warm months she nearly equals in size the March brown, 

 and is as fine and bulky a fly. The principal distinction is 

 the clouded wing of the March brown, which the pheasant's 

 feather has long represented, and the partridge brown for 

 the trellised wings of the checkwing. From time out of 

 mind they have been great favorites with the craft yclept 

 " hare's ear and yellow." 



30TH. RED DRAKE (or great red spinner). 21 Size of 

 checkwing but smarter ; long fore legs, long whisks ; wings 

 glassy and transparent, crossed into squares, sparkling with 

 red reflections ; body, a red or ambry dim transparency, 

 tinged darker on the upper parts and along the sides. 

 Legs and whisks a red dim transparency ; eyes round and 

 goggling or cased. Are out in groups in the evenings. 



Red cock's hackle with orange silk. 



31sx. BLACK SPINNER (or gnat). Full length, short of 

 a quarter; length, one-eighth to one-eighth and one-six- 

 teenth ; round thick shoulders ; body tapering to a point, 

 of a dark brown leady or black color. Some shew faint 

 reflections in the sun. Wings transparent, of a slight brown 

 or neutral tinge. 



Black silk and starling's small feather. This little aquatic 

 comes out of the water the beginning of this month, and 

 increases daily to immense numbers ; it is often the leading 

 favorite of the fish, and as often the pest of the flyfisher. 

 They are out all day, mustering exceedingly numerous in 

 the evenings until dusk, and continue through summer. 



(21) " Great Spinner" of Jackson, " Great Red Spinner " or " Light Mackerel " 

 of Ronalds ; this is the imago of the " March Brown," and is a fine, large, showy 

 looking fly, but owing to the distance that it flies above the surface of the water does 

 not often become food for the fish, at least I have never found the artificial kill nearly 

 so well as the lesser spinner of the " Blue Dun," or the corresponding transformation 

 of the " Yellow Dun." 



