286 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



coot, tlie wing of the male of a mallard as white as may be, 

 the body as little as you possibly can make it, and the wings 

 as short as his body. 



7. From the sixteenth of this month also to the end of it, 

 we use a BRIGHT BROWN ; the dubbing for which is to be had 

 out of a skinner's lime-pits, and of the hair of an abortive 

 calf, which the lime will turn to be so bright as to shine like 

 gold : for the wings of this fly, the feather of a brown hen 

 is best, which fly is taken till the tenth of April. 



[Trout takes flies eagerly this month, chiefly in sharp, gravelly, some- 

 what shallow streams. On their bottoms they lie to clean themselves by 

 friction against sand and gravel, to feed on small fish etc., and to enjoy 

 the watery element, more oxygenated than deep pools, by the action of a 

 springtide sun's rays. The best flies for this month are, 



No. 1. HOLLAND'S FANCY. Wings, woodcock's wing-feather ; legs, 

 bright red cock's hackle ; body, dark, brown-red floss silk ; tail, two 

 fibres of the red hackle. Hook, No. 10. This is a standard fly for all 

 the trout streams of the metropolitan counties. 



No. 2. THE BED SPINNER. Wings, light brown mallard; body, scarlet 

 mohair, ribbed with thin gold wire ; legs, blood-red hackle ; tail, two 

 fibres of the same. Hook, 9 and 10. 



No. 3. Wings, a fieldfare's wing-feather ; body, orange-coloured floss 

 silk, over which, in close, regular laps from tail to shoulder, a furnace- 

 hackle, that is a cock's ]ieck feather, the outer part of the fibres of which 

 are of a pure dark red, the inner part, next the stem of the feather, being 

 quite black. It is a most valuable feather. Hook, No. 10. An excel- 

 lent general fly. 



No. 4. Wings, hen pheasant's wing-feather; legs, a dun hackle, with 

 dark bars ; body, light-blue fur of the water rat, mixed with yellow 

 mohair ; tail, two fibres of the hackle used for legs. Hook, 10. 



No. 5. CoCH-Y-BoNDDHU. Wings, a furnace-hackle, tied buzz ; legs 

 the same feather ; body short, of black ostrich and bright bronze peacock 

 hard, twisted together ; gold-tip ; and hooks, 10 and 11. 



No. 6. THE MARCH-SHOWN. Wings, standing erect, of the hen 

 pheasant's wing or tail-feather; body, pale orange mohair mixed with 

 reddish fur from the hare's poll ; legs, a pure honey dun hackle ; tail, two 

 fibres of the pheasant's wing. Hooks, 7, 8, 9, and 10. 



I consider this the best of all flies from the middle of March to the end 

 of April, with the exception of the oak-fly for the latter month. When 

 the natural fly is on the water in great abundance, it is taken by trout 

 as eagerly as the Mayfly, or green drake, in May and June. I esteem it 

 so highly, that I will give two other ways of dressing it. 



1st. BLACKER'S WAY. Wings, hen pheasant's wing-feather or grey 

 mottled partridge feather ; body, light and dark hareVear fur, mixed 

 with a little dark yellow mohair, and ribbed with pale yellow silk ; legs, 

 small brown partridge back -feather ; tail, two fibres of brown mottled 

 mallard's feather. Hooks, 9 and 10. 



