CHAP. VII. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 323 



season kill more fish in our Derbyshire rivers, than all 

 the rest, past and to come, in the whole year besides. 



But first I am to tell you, that we have four several 

 flies which contend for the title of the May-fly, namely, 

 the GREEN-DRAKE; the STONE-FLY; the BLACK-FLY; 

 and the LITTLE YELLOW MAY-FLY. 



And all these have their champions and advocates to 

 dispute and plead their priority ; though I do not under- 

 stand why the two last-named should ; the first two having 

 so manifestly the advantage, both in their beauty and the 

 wonderful execution they do in their season. 



11. Of these the GREEN-DRAKE comes in about the 

 twentieth of this month, or betwixt that and the latter 

 end, (for they are sometimes sooner, and sometimes later, 

 according to the quality of the year,) but never well taken 

 till towards the end of this month, and the beginning of 

 June. The STONE-FLY comes much sooner, so early as 

 the middle of April, but is never well taken till towards 

 the middle of May, and continues to kill much longer 

 than the Green-drake stays with us, so long as to the end 

 almost of June ; and, indeed, so long as there are any of 

 them to be seen upon the water ; and sometimes in an 

 artificial fly, and late at night, or before sunrise in a morn- 

 ing, longer. 



Now both these flies, and I believe many others, though 

 I think not all, are certainly and demonstratively bred in 

 the very rivers where they are taken; our cadis or cod- 

 bait, which lie under stones at the bottom of the water, 

 most of them turning into those two flies, and being 

 gathered in the husk, or crust, near the time of their 

 maturity, are very easily known and distinguished, and 

 are of all other the most remarkable, both for their size, as 

 being of all other the biggest, (the shortest of them being 

 a. full inch long or more,) and for the execution they 

 do, the Trout and Grayling, being much more greedy 



Y2 



