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An Extract from " BeWs Life^'' April Ist, 1855 " T^e 

 Ondine " iw ^Ae i?oo^ of the Salmon^ by ''^ Ephemera^'' 



•*Gold tip ; tail, small, brilliant topping, light blue tag; body, blue 

 peacock harl, closely ribbed with fine gold twist ; two joints of green 

 trogan feather, and one of red orange hacicle under the wings, and 

 over their butts blue jayj wings, a careful mixture of fibres of bustard, 

 silver pheasant, yellow and blue maeaw teal, guinea-hen and golden 

 pheasant tail and neck-feathers, surmounted by a topping ; feelers, 

 blue and yellow macaw, and bright peacock harl, head. Hook, No. 

 7 and 8. This waterwitch, sculptured originally by Blacker, is pro- 

 perly called "Ondine" The first time I saw it I nearly lost my senses, 

 and was upon the point of becoming its victim. 



" The May-fly and Phelim Rhu are best made by Blacker, of Dean 

 Street, Soho j Phelim is one of his maay good inventions Dressed 

 on the smallest sized grilse hook, it will on dark days and evenings, 

 and in full water kill sea trout and large common trout in every 

 locality. See a celebrated claret fly plate No. 4, page 108." 



Prince Alberfs Letter to the Author , enclosing £10. 



Nearly eleven years have rolled by, since I sent a copy of the first 

 edition of this work to His Royal Highness Prince Albert, who 

 conferred upon me much honor by a favourable reply to it, at that time 

 I took great pains to illustrate it with specimens of the most costly 

 and beautifully executed salmon and trout flies imaginable, many of 

 which were worth a guinea a piece. In this new edition for 1855 

 I have given numerous copperplates of these excellent killing flies 

 surperbly painted to suit the rivers qf Ireland, Scot'and, England, 

 and Wales; such choice specimens are they that I think salmon and 

 trout will not refuse them in any river in Britian, they are models 

 of gracefulness, and will prove very attractive to the finny tribe, they 

 are all general favourite flies of mine, and of the great salmon and 

 trout fly fishers of the present day. The angler should never fail to 

 try them wherever he roamed in rivers known or unknf^wn to him, 

 and succesful experience has given me an opportunity of recom- 

 mending them with the greatest, confidence, they have killed fish when 

 they have been half gnawed away, and as a fisherman I look upon 

 them with admiration although they are the work of my own fingers, 

 I think I will not say amiss if I predestinate that the real en- 

 thusiastic fly fishers, nine out of ten, will be in love with them. 



THE LETTER. 



'^Buckingham Palace, May 7th, 1844. 

 " Mr. Anson is commanded by His Royal Highness 

 Prince Albert to enclose Mr. Blacker a cheque for ten 

 pounds for the Work on Angling which accompanied his 

 letter, the receipt of which he will have the goodness to 

 acknowledge." 



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