TKOUT FLIES. 117 



and having secured the straw body, wind on the olive 

 hackle, and fasten it off just above the straw, and tie on 

 the point of a bustard, florican, grey partridge, or breast 

 of grey hen, or a bittern hackle ; I like the bustard best, 

 as being more like the Mayfly legs ; in winding this on, 

 the last turn is given so that one side of the hackle points 

 turn upwards, representing the fore legs of the May fly, 

 which always point in that direction. This is not a sine 

 qua non, but it is an additional similarity and is easy to 

 do. The wings are two small drake feathers stained to 

 the right colour, and here the angler may suit the colour 

 to his fancy, greenish-yellow with a slight olive tinge, a 

 most difficult colour to dye (so that it will stand), or a 

 darker bluish olive tinge. It is as well to have both 

 shades ; some prefer the feathers of the Egyptian goose, 

 and I like them if stained of the right colour ; some like 

 the summer duck, which is good for a change. There are 

 a few feathers on a drake which are nearer to the dark 

 back feathers, more of dingy freckled sort, and less 

 regular in their markings, which I prefer to any, but 

 there are only a few of them, and they are not easj to 

 get ; but, whichever be chosen, they must be tied on nearly 

 upright and back to back, so as to spread out and support 

 the fly upright on the water. The head may be made of 

 two or three turns of bronzed peacock harl. This is the 

 best pattern for a green drake I know of, and for floating, 

 if the hook be not too heavy, cannot be beaten. Ham- 

 mond, of Winchester, an excellent judge of flies in his 

 day, used the speckled white partridge hackle instead of 

 bustard, and a sandy red one below instead of olive, and 

 a yellow or lemon coloured crewel body, though he latterly 

 adopted straw on my recommendation. The eyed hooks 

 made for this purpose by Mr. Hutchinson, of Kendal, do 



