TKOUT'S IDEAS OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 79 



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very much surprised. And on behalf of Scotch 

 anglers we repudiate with scorn the bare idea that it 

 requires less skill to catch a Scotch trout than an 

 English one, or that the former in any way receives an 

 inferior education as regards flies, etc, to his English 

 brother. In fact, we believe that in the before-men- 

 tioned streams the education of the inhabitants is as 

 superior to that of the inhabitants of English streams 

 as the education of the people of the one country is 

 admitted to be to that of the other ; and supposing the 

 most accomplished believer in the English theory 

 aye, even Mr. Erancis himself engaged on a mile of 

 Tweed along with twenty or thirty Galashiels weavers 

 (by no means an unusual number), we question if his 

 basket at the finish would illustrate very strongly 

 the superiority of his theory and practice. We have 

 met English anglers even in Scotland counting their 

 takes by the brace, and not in much danger of going 

 wrong in their reckoning either. Having relieved 

 our feelings of this protest on behalf of Scotch 

 anglers and Scotch trout, we must now consider 

 what it is necessary to imitate, or what do trout take, 

 or rather mistake, the artificial fly for. As before 

 stated, we believe that, deceived by an appearance of 

 life, they take it for what it is intended to imitate 

 a fly or some other aquatic insect. In proof of this, 

 artificial flies are not of much use unless the trout 

 are at the time feeding on the natural insect. And 

 an artificial fly will kill twenty trout for one which 

 the feathers composing it, rolled round the hook 

 without regard to shape, will. Nay, more ; a neatly- 



