SALMON FLIES 



a topping and Indian crow; butt, bronze chenille; body, yellow, 



orange, claret and black mohair in equal parts, picked out and ribbed 



with flat gold twist; a claret hackle over the claret and black wool; 



sky-blue hackle at shoulder; wing, two slips of dun turkey with 



light tips. 



This is another venerable pattern handed down from generation to 



generation, and reputed indispensable in my youth. Substitute brown 



mallard for dun turkey in the wing and vary the body by composing it 



of all black or all brown mohair, with hackle of a corresponding shade 



over it, and you have a series of flies without which success was formerly 



deemed unattainable in the rivers of Galloway. So, at least, the local 



experts averred, although at the present day Galloway salmon are found 



to rise as readily to the gaudiest flies. 



13. *' Meg-in-her-Braws." Tail, yellow wool; body, three turns of 

 crimson wool, the same of green wool, remainder brown wool mixed 

 with bullock's hair, ribbed with gold twist with a cock-y-bondhu 

 hackle, blue jay at shoulder; wing, two slices of bittern's wing; head, 

 yellow wool. 



This is one of Scrope's patterns, and I give it because of its archaeo- 

 logical interest, to show what was considered a gay fly on Tweedside 

 eighty years ago. Also it is interesting ornithologically, for Scrope would 

 not have recommended the feather of a bittern unless that fine bird, now 

 of rarest occurrence, had not been pretty easy to obtain. The dresser 

 of the specimen shown in Plate VIII has been compelled to substitute the 

 rich mottled feather on a peacock's back, nor is it likely that any salmon 

 will refuse this fly on account of the change. 



14. "The Dusty Miller." Tag, silver wire and olive floss; tail, a top- 

 ping and Indian crow; butt, black chenille; body, two-thirds em- 

 bossed silver tinsel, one-third gold floss, ribbed with flat silver twist, 

 orange-dyed hackle over the floss and gallina at shoulder; wing, 

 two slices of black turkey with white tip, fibres of bustard, argus 

 pheasant and red, yellow and blue -dyed swan over; two jungle -fowl 

 feathers half the length of the wing, and two toppings tied in over 

 all with the curve of the feather directed outward and upward, in- 

 stead of being set as usual to curve downwards. 



The "Dusty Miller " has undergone a change of raiment since I made 

 his acquaintance. The gold floss and orange hackle on the body are a 

 modern innovation, and alter the grey, " dusty " appearance he used 



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