78 FLIES, ELY-DRESSING, ETC. 



may be whether he believes that he must have an 

 imitation of some insect on the water at the time, 

 that he must have a fly of the same colour as the 

 majority of those on the water, or with ourselves 

 holds neither of these opinions ; if he has four flies 

 such as those mentioned above, he cannot be very 

 far off the mark, as these comprise all the leading 

 colours of which insects generally are. 



The opinion that it is necessary to imitate the 

 particular fly on the water at the time has recently 

 received the weight of Mr. Francis Francis' support, 

 who in advocating what may be called the English 

 theory gives a sort of side- wipe to Scotch anglers the 

 drift of his remarks being, that though a small assort- 

 ment of flies may do well enough in Scotch streams 

 where little fishing goes on and anglers count their 

 takes by the dozen, it will not answer in the mucl:- 

 fished streams on the other side of the Border, where 

 anglers count their takes by the brace. If Mr. 

 Francis' views as to an exact imitation being necessary 

 in English streams be correct, which we very much 

 doubt, he will require to find some other reason for 

 its being unnecessary in Scotland than this. In com- 

 paring the severity of the fishing in Scotch and 

 English streams it must be borne in mind that the 

 former are, as a rule, open to the public, and that the 

 latter, as a rule, are preserved and fished only by a 

 favoured few. If Mr. Francis will point out any 

 stream in England, in which he thinks it worth 

 while to throw a fly for trout, that is more and better 

 fished than Tweed and its tributaries, we shall be 



