CHAP. VII J THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 28 1 



husk, or crust, near the time of their maturity, are very easily 

 known and distinguished ; and are of all other the most re- 

 markable, both for their size, as being of all other the biggest, 

 the shortest of them being a full inch long, or more, and for 

 the execution they do, the Trout and Grayling being much 

 more greedy of them than of any others ; and indeed, the Trout 

 never feeds fat, nor comes into his perfect season, till these flies 

 come in. 



Of these, the Green-Drake never discloses from his husk, till 

 he be first there grown to full maturity, body, wings, and all ; 

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

 crimped and ruffled, by being pressed 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 color ; 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 color, 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 



