118 THE SCIENTIFIC AKGLER. 



itself amongst the roots of luxuriant grass or thick moss, 

 until more genial weather prevails. The fly is perfectly 

 flat-winged, and in attitude resembles the house and 

 wood flies. These three flies are, perhaps, the most com- 

 monly known British insects. 



The Wood fly resembles the domestic house fly in all 

 particulars except size, it being a trifle larger, and is 

 especially numerous in the vicinity of cattle, to which it 

 is very obnoxious, especially in wooded districts. In 

 cold weather, in the fall of the year, all the tribes of 

 wood and house flies become blind, when they are swept 

 upon the water in great quantities, to be picked off by 

 both trout and grayling, especially the latter. The Gray 

 Palmer efficiently represents these drowning insects, when 

 vainly fluttering to extricate themselves from the foreign 

 element. 



The Blue Bottle is most in request for live fly-fishing 

 in July and August. It is sometimes cast along with 

 the gray palmer, and renders good account of its attrac- 

 tive powers, but cannot be said to be infallible. The 

 Wren-tail, or Frog-hopper, forms one of the many varie- 

 ties of winged insects numerous in July. In common 

 with the small blacks, it braves the heat of the noonday 

 sun. The latter fortunately differ very materially in re- 

 gard to their habits and movements, as they are inces- 

 santly hovering over the water, whilst the frog-hopper 

 merely appears accidentally, and, therefore, unintention- 

 ally, upon its bosom. It is occasionally to be used with 

 effect. 



The Ants* are only occasionally numerous, but in 

 some localities the red species are common in sandy soils, 

 and amongst wild, broken ground. The black variety 

 are found only in thickly-wooded districts, where they 



* The red and black ants are favorites during low water. The eggs 

 are used sometimes with killing effect on the point of a fly hook. 



