28 THE SCOTTISH ANGLER. 



think them unnecessary. Instead of a yellow silk-body, 

 we sometimes adopt one of pale green, especially in 

 loch fishing. Our next fly is of a sombre cast. The 

 wings are formed of the woodcock, snipe, or lark 

 feather, it is no matter which ; the body is of hare's 

 ear, darker or lighter, as it pleases the fancy. Our 

 third fly is dubbed with mouse or water-rat hair, and 

 hath wings of the starling or the fieldfare. Our last is 

 a plain hackle, black or red, without wings, and called 

 commonly the Palmer. These flies are almost our only 

 sorts for trouting with, and we have them of all sizes, 

 down to the minutest midge. 



And now, as to the manner of dressing them, we 

 shall be fitly brief, inasmuch as careful instructions on 

 this point are to be met with in most works upon 

 angling. These, however, are over-complex and re- 

 fined to be readily understood and followed, and there- 

 fore we shall unfold in a few sentences our more simple 

 method. Practice alone can bestow neatness and ex- 

 pedition in this kind of manufacture, which, we opine, 

 is needful for all zealous anglers. Our materials for 

 the making up of flies are as follow : Hooks, and small 

 round gut ; a pair of brass nippers for twisting hackles ; 

 a point for dividing the wings ; a pair of fine scissors ; 

 orange, yellow, and green silk thread of all sizes ; good 

 cobblers' wax enclosed in a piece of soft leather ; a hare's 

 ear ; some brown wild-drake, teal, and pheasant fea- 

 thers ; the fur of a mouse, squirrel, and water-rat ; a 

 few wings of lark, snipe, landrail, and starling ; and 

 lastly, red and black hackles, taken from the neck and 

 head of an old cock at Christmas ; these should be fully 

 formed and free from softness. Plovers' herls, and 

 those of the peacock, are used by some ; yet we deem 

 them superfluous, as also tinsel, except for large flies. 



Commencing your operations, the first step is to lay 



