128 TEOUT FISHING 



with only here and there, at long intervals, any- 

 thing- approaching a current or eddy ; and these 

 so difficult to get at, that they are of little service 

 to the ordinary fisherman with the artificial fly ; 

 and for the most skilful, since these places are but 

 few and fa,r between, there really is great decrease 

 of fishable water : hence his chances decrease 

 with the fall of the water and loss of rapids. 

 He has, in point of fact, lost one of the necessary 

 conditions for certainty of sport, namely, rapid 

 water; hence he taxes his ingenuity to make up 

 by skill for the natural defect so powerfully acting 

 against him. Well, there are certain kinds of 

 flies to be caught in abundance, which, therefore, 

 is a point of importance, as the fisherman requires 

 a large stock of natural flies. Of these no fly 

 perhaps beats the May fly, oak fly, or down-hill 

 fly. I believe it is popularly known by each and 

 all of these names. The last is descriptive of the 

 character of the fly, which is a good-sized one, 

 with speckled wings, white and brownish ; these 

 wings are flat, and stand out broadly from his 

 body. You may see them on trees, principally 

 oak trees, or railings near water, always with their 

 heads down hill, i.e. dependent, and they are 

 easily caught by the hand. The wood fly is another 

 good one. Go into a wood, have some horse-dung 

 thrown down in a small heap ; it will soon be 

 covered with these flies, which may conveniently 

 be knocked down by the branch of a bush, when 

 you can pick up the crippled ones, and put them 

 into your box or bottle- The common house-fly, 



