CHAP. vii. THE SECOND DAY, 225 



all; and then he creeps out of his cell, but with his wings 

 so crimpt and ruffled, by being prest together in that narrow 

 room, that they are, for some hours, totally useless to him ; by 

 which means he is compelled either to creep upon the flags, 

 sedges, and blades of grass, if his first rising from the bottom 

 of the water be near the banks of the river, till the air and sun 

 stiffen and smooth them or, if his first appearance above water 

 happen to be in the middle, he then lies upon the surface of the 

 water like a ship at hull ; for his feet are totally useless to him 

 there, and he cannot creep upon the water as the STONE-FLY 

 can, until his wings have got stiffness to fly with (if by some 

 trout or grayling he be not taken in the interim, which ten to 

 one he is), and then his wings stand high, and closed exact 

 upon his back, like the butterfly, and his motion in flying is the 

 same. His body is, in some, of a paler, in others, of a darker 

 yellow; for they are not all exactly of a colour, ribbed with 

 rows of green, long, slender, and growing sharp towards the 

 tail, at the end of which he has three long small whisks of a 

 very dark colour, almost black, and his tail turns up towards 

 his back like a mallard ; from whence, questionless, he has his 

 name of the GREEN-DRAKE. These, as I think I told you 

 before, we commonly dape, or dibble with, and having gathered 

 great store of them into a long draw-box, with holes in the 

 cover to give them air (where also they will continue fresh and 

 vigorous a night or more), we take them out thence by the 

 wings, and bait them thus upon the hook. We first take one 

 (for we commonly fish with two of them at a time), and putting 

 the point of the hook into the thickest part of his body, under 

 one of his wings, run it directly through, and out at the other 

 side, leaving him spitted cross upon the hook ; and then taking 

 the other, put him on after the same manner, but with his head 

 the contrary way; in which posture they will live upon the hook, 

 and play with their wings, for a quarter of an hour or more ; 

 but you must have a care to keep their wings dry, both from the 

 water, and also that your fingers be not wet when you take them 

 out to bait them, for then your bait is spoiled. 



Having now told you how to angle with this fly alive, I am 



15 



