THE AMERICAN TROUT. 17 



vided he follows, as he sometimes appears to do, the 

 advice of the young folks, shuts his eyes and opens his 

 mouth. I cannot recommend such tackle, being con- 

 vinced the most skillfully made is the best ; but I do 

 advise simplicity of color. One of the best of all flies 

 is the female cow-dung, made of a dark cinnamon color, 

 and after the pattern used in England ; there is a green- 

 ish abomination unjustly foisted upon American inven- 

 tion that is worthless. The hackles are in my opinion 

 altogether inferior, except the black-winged hackle, 

 which, of a bright warm day, is irresistible. The ibis 

 and professor, dressed d V Americaine, with yellow floss 

 body and red tail, are both excellent flies. The coach- 

 man is the best evening fly, and will attract trout long 

 after the angler can see to strike them, and when the 

 sound of their plunge alone entices him to continue his 

 efforts. The May and stone flies are good, and of late years 

 a fly of mixed red and black, with wings, called by some, 

 from his colors, the devil-fly, has come into vogue. The 

 palmers are only to be despised and avoided. In sum- 

 mer, of the midges the yellow sally, the alder fly, the 

 little cinnamon, the black gnat, the black and red ants, 

 and in fact all others, are attractive. The water is then 

 covered with myriads of many-colored flies, and there is 

 hardly any artificial but will find its representative among 

 the real life. 



These are but a few of the flies that can be pur- 

 chased in the shops, which yearly invent new varie- 

 ties, regardless of truth to nature or the recommend- 

 ations of experience. Many have no names whatever, 

 and in others the workman has given his fancy such play 



