APRIL. 31 



of her pleasures and greatest numbers, at the very 

 time and place of his murderous prowl. It might 

 seem that our great Creator, amidst his animated 

 masses, threw in the sequestered devoted stone fly a 

 peck for the trout, as the burnisher of his beauties and 

 his chief nourisher in life's feast. 



The stone fly is in general fished natural, for which 

 herself, like all others, is the truest teacher. Unlike 

 the green drake that rarely uses her legs on the water, 

 but moves with the current, the stone fly seems at 

 home on its surface ; she drops and runs upon it with 

 the same ease and freedom she does on the ground 

 trotting and making her way across or down the 

 streams, and lands where she lists, perfectly dry ; it is 

 thus she presents herself to the trout paddling in 

 quick motion, lively and dry, in various directions on 

 the water; and the angler must present her to him 

 in the same way as near as he is able with a tough 

 springy rod and a line about the same length, two- 

 thirds of it fine strong gut. Move, unseen, with easy 

 motion up the stream, and dab the fly with precision 

 on the eddies behind stones, or other places of succour 

 where the trout takes his station ; or let it glide free 

 and natural down on the current over his likely haunts ; 

 never drag it against the stream (unnatural for any fly) 

 or suffer it to drown ; but succour and recover it by 

 by easy lifts and gentle jerks, to keep it on the water 

 alive and dry ; for a dead fly hanging at the hook like 

 a piece of wet moss, will not be taken on the top ; and 

 a good artificial will maintain its appearance better in 

 the water. No time need be lost, for the stroke of 

 the trout is often quicker than the falling of the fly ; 



