27 



show that a fly dressed on this hook looks more natural than one on an ordinary 

 hook. Fig. B represents a May Fly, from Mr. Halford's book "Floating 

 Flies," dressed on one of our hooks, and Fig. C represents the Alder, which 

 suits the hook best of all, because on it and the other flat-winged flies the wings 

 almost entirely hide the hook. We cannot say that we found these flies kill 

 better than the ordinary kind, but our experience of them has been but small 

 at present. Mr. Holland says they are more difficult to dress, and he has to 

 charge 33. a dozen for them. 



This certainly does not seem an excessive price for any kind 

 of fly tied by such an artist in his profession as Mr. Holland. 

 Moreover, as I have often pointed out to tackle -makers, price, in 

 reference to eyed-hooks and flies dressed on them, is practically of 

 * no consequence.' In the first place, people will have the best 

 thing whatever it costs ; and, in the second place, flies tied on 

 eyed hooks out-last so many times those tied on gut that, " fly for 

 fly," they must always be in the result infinitely cheaper. Thus, 

 if there really were any valid reason why " eyed-flies " should be 

 dearer than " gut-flies "even to the extent of costing double 

 no one need hesitate as to which was the more economical invest- 

 ment. But the whole talk about the " extra trouble and extra 

 expense," entailing " extra price," is, in fact, the veriest moonshine ; 

 and instead of being dearer, eyed-hook flies ought on every com- 

 mercial ground to be rather the cheaper. Here is a simple sum in 

 arithmetic : The figures refer to flies of the ordinary small sizes 

 used in stream fishing, and the prices quoted are, of course, those 

 of the wholesale dealers. 



[As I am told I have no business to divulge ' trade secrets,' I 

 have omitted from the press sheets the figures of my little 

 arithmetical calculation ; they conclusively showed, however, that 

 trout flies dressed on eyed hooks ought to be cheaper by about 20 

 per cent, than the same flies tied on gut^\ 



