21 



winged queen from fairy land, is not common in Yorkshire ; 

 specimens are annually seen, but there is no general 

 rise of them throughout the three Ridings. The natural 

 insect is fished by some expert anglers on certain rivers of 

 the county, notably the Ure, the Driffield Beck, and 

 formerly the Aire. Of late years, however, it has been 

 by no means numerous on the last-named river. It is a 

 very deadly bait in skilful hands ; but no imitations, not 

 even the floating May-flies of the south are ever very 

 satisfactory to the fisherman. In the cases of a few other 

 flies which are absent, they have been omitted because 

 experience has proved that though any of them will kill, 

 and perhaps kill well at times, they are not generally worth 

 consideration. 



It only remains to be said that the illustrations on the 

 following plates have been very carefully copied from flies 

 dressed by various Yorkshire makers. The originals, or 

 others like them, have done service on half the rivers and 

 lakes of England and Scotland, and have never failed to give 

 a satisfactory account of themselves, despite the lugubrious 

 warnings of local hands that " they were no use there." You 

 will be told this probably on every new river visited ; yet 

 may you safely fish Yorkshire flies and laugh to scorn the 

 dismal prophecies of anglers who believe that the trout in 

 their own river differ in their choice of flies from those of 

 any other river in the universe. 



