224 THE SALMON FLT. 



and the original " Kay Mead." The loss is due, in my opinion, to a kind 

 of trade rivalry, and to a prevalent desire on the part of certain dressers 

 to produce some sensational effect by inconsistently varying any fly they 

 make while still using the old name. Let me not be misunder- 

 stood. To cleverly vary a fly, under certain principles, in order to 

 meet some particular case or condition, is a feat often practised by first- 

 class men ; but there really is no such thing as " producing sensational 

 effect " by the mere process of haphazard variation. A " bit of novelty " 

 in most standards, though accidentally effective, soon wears off in general 

 use, and is pretty sure to spoil the pattern for good and all. 



On the other hand, it is true that some flies, as for instance " Bonnie 

 Dundee," "Daily News," and the "Blue Charm " of old, are suscep- 

 tible of vast improvement ; but, as I say, some of the best have entirely 

 lost their value by passing through phases of irresponsible treatment, and 

 might well receive their conge from some reliable judicative source. 



A good example of this sort of importunate treatment is manifest in 



a collection of old standards, which have been on my table for weeks and 



months. Most of them were sent to me for the purposes of this work, 



and have come from all parts of the United Kingdom. So inconsistent 



has been the changes made in bodies and wings generally, even in the 



different specimens of three such favourites as the " Assassin," " Ray 



Mead," and the " Quaker," the first and last of which, in the fulness of 



their celebrity, riveted themselves on my recollection, that it is almost 



impossible to identify them. For this reason they, like others, cannot 



be truly described. Among these patterns, nevertheless, I see a rather 



good looking variation of "Ray Mead." The wings take after a fly 



invented by my Father, and the body assumes the character of a silver 



and blue " Jock Scott." I have, however, seen patterns on the Bann, 



Owenmore, Waterville river, the Bush, Bundrowes, Shannon, and 



Blackwater, differing so much from their original dressing, that I am 



driven to overlook them in this collection. As an example take, say, 



" Tim's Moke," which, however, is eminently deserving of some sort of 



notice. This fairly useful fly is known on the West coast as the 



" Monkey Grey," whilst on the other side of Ireland it enjoys the 



appellation of " Red Tag." It takes somewhat after the " Lemon 



