NOTES OX THE MONTHS FOR FLY-FISHING. 211 



dressed larger. The artificial "plague" is ingeniously 

 contrived by a fine point strand of black ostrich herl; 

 but the hooks used being too small to be effective for any- 

 thing except grayling or small trout, we can scarcely 

 commend their use. It may be an artistic feat to land a 

 fish through the instrumentality of an artificial of this 

 description, when attached to gut collars as fine as human 

 hair, but the predominating chance of breakages, and the 

 uncertainties over which the fly-fisher exercises little or 

 no control, of unsafely hooking, etc., cause us to ignore 

 these, adopting in preference a safe-sized hook and fly, 

 viz,, the Little Chap. This is somewhat less than the 

 angler's Black Gnat, and is dressed buzzy, and with this the 

 fish's chances of hooking and holding are largely increased, 

 There are some fly-fishers who care less about landing 

 fish than hooking and turning them; to such as these, as 

 a matter of course, a more correct copy is preferred. 



About the middle of this month the Wren Tail ap- 

 pears, and on hot days often in large numbers. Being a 

 land insect it is of much consequence to the angler in 

 calm weather. There are always, through the season, a 

 variety of "oddlings" about, which, as a rule, affect 

 neither fish nor fisherman, especially when seasonable 

 flies prevail. Favorable weather for the fly at this part 

 of the year implies brisk breezes, dull cloudy skies, or 

 sharp showers. The evening rise after a hot, dry, sultry 

 day, is nevertheless a famous time for sport, the fish 

 usually rising vigorously until after twilight. The flies 

 that have risen and hidden in the foliage fringing the 

 river's bank during the day, turn out as soon as the 

 power of the sun begins to wane. From the natural 

 position of tho fish in clear water, they have every ad- 

 vantage of position, and faculty for distinguishing differ- 

 ences the most trivial between one fly and another; and 

 often is the angler nonplussed in his endeavors to arrive 

 at the precise thing absorbing their attention. 



