76 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 



water, trout may recognise it, and when the waters 

 are dark coloured and there is a strong breeze of 

 wind, take an imitation of it more readily than any 

 other. But in our own experience we have never 

 found this to be the case ; and though we have fre- 

 quently tried this fly so celebrated on English 

 streams we have never found it nearly so deadly 

 as our usual flies, even when the water was coloured ; 

 and in clear water it failed entirely, as all large 'flies 

 will, for the obvious reason that their size enables 

 the trout to detect their artificial nature, further- 

 more, we have killed more trout with this imitation 

 in the month of May, before the real insects had 

 made their appearance, than in June, when the 

 water was swarming with them, which we ascribe to 

 the circumstance that trout will take a larger fly in 

 May than in June. 



This opinion would not have been maintained 

 so long, but that there is at first sight a degree of 

 plausibility about it, and that it does not to any 

 great extent interfere with the successful practice of 

 fly-fishing. What is meant for an imitation of a 

 particular fly may occasionally do good service ; not 

 because the trout see any resemblance between it 

 and the fly it is intended to imitate, but because, if 

 the size and colour are suitable, it will just kill as 

 well as any other. And we believe the angler who 

 has a different fly for every day in the season will 

 kill nearly as many trout as the angler who adheres 

 to three or four varieties the whole season through ; 



