WHY FISH TAKE THE SPIDER-FLY. 119 



They may be used from morning until evening , 

 and the trout are so passionately fond of them, 

 that they gorge themselves with their favourite 

 food, and retire to their secret haunts, thereby 

 disappointing the most skilful endeavours of the 

 angler. It is probably owing to the short dura- 

 tion of these flies, that the fish are so greedy in 

 devouring them, as they are seldom to be found 

 after the expiration of about three weeks from 

 their first appearance. The wings are made of 

 the feather from the wing of the cuckoo's mate, 

 the goat-sucker, or, in the absence of the pre- 

 ceding two, from the woodcock ; the body of 

 lead-coloured silk for the lower and middle parts, 

 and a strip of black ostrich harl for the thick 

 part near the shoulders, round which a small 

 dark grizzled hackle should be twisted twice, and 

 the fly is completed." 



Great whirling dun. Body, squirrel's blue 

 and martin's yellow fur mixed, or dark mole's 

 fur and yellow mohair ; wings, pale grey fibres of 

 a mallard's wing-feather, to stand erect ; legs, 

 grizzled hackle ; tail, two fibres of the mallard's 

 mottled feather. Hook, No. 7 and 8. 



This fly may be also dubbed with fur from the 

 bottom of a squirrel's tail, the wings being the 

 same as the last, or it may be made a third way ; 

 viz. the wings of a pale orange colour from the 

 wing-feather of a ruddy hen; body, squirrel's 

 i 4 



