Flies and Fly-jtshing. 369 



accustomed to the sad tints of the more killing flies of 

 the Middle States. But it may be said here that none 

 of the taking flies of the Rangely region bear the re- 

 motest resemblance to any insect there, or, I believe, 

 elsewhere to be found. Nay, further, imitations of the 

 local insects are there comparatively quite unsuccessful. 



Next in my favor comes the salmon fly known as the 

 " Black Dose." Its body is black pig's-wool or mohair, 

 ribbed with oval silver, black hackle, yellow tail, and 

 mixed wing, with jungle-cock sides. The tail should be 

 of golden-pheasant crest, and the wing should be topped 

 with a larger feather of the same kind. In dark, low- 

 ery weather, and when the water runs somewhat roily, 

 with a whitish color, this fly has many a time done me 

 yeoman's service with the large fish. 



Indeed, I am indebted to this fly for, or, at least, as- 

 sociate with it, one of the pleasantest episodes of my 

 angling experience. 



In company with two friends, I was on my return 

 from an expedition to Sitka, Alaska, in which we had 

 taken in, as well as circumstances would permit, the 

 angling as well as the sight - seeing of the country 

 traversed, including the Nepigon and Columbia rivers, 

 Yellowstone Park, the Canadian National Park, and 

 such intermediate waters as were opportune. 



Some, perhaps, will bear reminding that the Colum- 

 bia River heads near the northern boundary of the 

 United States, flows north between the Rocky and 

 Selkirk Mountains, doubles the northern end of the 

 Selkirk range, and then runs south, across the bound- 

 ary-line, through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific. 



We had arranged for the exclusive use of a stern- 

 wheel steamboat, one of the sort reputed to ask no 

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