FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 



brilliancy to the fly -book, for it invariably gets cut by the first fish that 

 takes it. In large spring sizes a couple of jungle -fowl feathers, shorter 

 than the tippets, improve the vs^ing. 



9. " The Argus." Tag, silver wire; tail, sprigs of mottled argus 

 pheasant; butt, scarlet chenille; body, black floss, ribbed w^ith silver 

 twist and black cock's hackle; gallina at shoulder; wing, two slices 

 of grey turkey, over which two slices of the mottled buff and black 

 feather of the argus pheasant. A turn of fluffy white argus tied hackle - 

 wise over the wing. Black varnished head. 



This is a most serviceable fly in all sizes, being composed of very dur- 

 able material. I have found it very attractive to salmon both in Norway 

 and Scotland. 



10. " The Snow Fly." Tag, silver wire and yellow floss; tail, a 

 topping and a couple of Indian crows; body, in three joints, all of flat 

 silver twist; at the top of the first joint is wound a crimson hackle, 

 at the top of the second a sky-blue one, and at the shoulder a gallina 

 or guinea-fowl hackle; wing, mixed slices of grey turkey, gold 

 pheasant tail, fibres of red and blue swan, shortish jungle -fowl on 

 cheeks, and a topping over all. 



There are many varieties of " Snow Fly " — that of the Beauly has a wing 

 entirely composed of bronze peacock herl and an orange ruff. I have 

 chosen to describe this one, because I happened to have it on my line 

 during the best day's spring fishing that ever fell to my lot, when it 

 accounted for ten out of eleven clean fish in the bag.* 



11. "The Lady Caroline." No tag or tail; body, a mixture of 

 crimson and blue wool, giving the effect of purple, the fibres not 

 pulled out, ribbed with narrow silver and gold tinsel, a long-fibred 

 red heron's hackle from tail to head, wound the reverse way to the 

 tinsel, and a teal hackle at throat; wing, brown mallard. 



Evidently a very ancient type, such as Richard Franck may have seen 

 when he perambulated the Highlands in the later days of the Protec- 

 torate, *' The Lady Caroline," though named after a lady still with us, is 

 one of a large variety of files peculiar to Strathspey, where the local 

 fishermen adhere conservatively to the patterns in vogue long before 

 such frivolities as jungle -fowl, gold pheasant and dyed plumes came into 

 vogue. It is a very good fly in any river, especially for clear water. 



12. "The Dun Turkey." Tag, yellow floss and silver wire; tail, 



*See pa^e 71, infra. 



52 



