71 



feather of the swan that grows over the back. 

 It may be varied with cream colom'ed mohair, 

 very light ginger hackle, and a buff wing from a 

 hen of that colour ; and a browner one may be 

 made from a matted brown hen's wing, or light 

 brown grouse tail, or large hackle off the rump of 

 the same bird, brown-red cock's hackle, the 

 whole to be made full, of good coloured and stiff 

 materials, that they may not absorb the water, 

 and alight heavy when thrown on the surface. 



No. 24. The Oak Fly. — The body is made 

 of orange silk, and a little hare's ear fur under 

 the shoulder, rib it with a furnace hackle from 

 the centre of the body up (if the hackles are 

 tied on at the tail they are very apt to get cut 

 with the teeth of the fish in a very short time). 

 The wings may be made from the mottled 

 brown hen, or the woodcock wings, of a red 

 tinge. No. 8 hook. This fly cannot be too 

 highly valued for its killing qualities. It will 

 be found useful for large trout of a windy day 

 with a grey cloud over head, and not likely to 

 rain. " Mr. Bowlker," in his " Art of Angling," 

 mentions the oak fly in this manner : *' The 

 oak, ash, woodcock, cannon, or down-hill fly, i 

 comes on about the sixteenth of May, and con 



