GENERAL RULES. 115 



of days with three flies of exactly the same size, 

 colour, and shape, and tied upon gut of the same 

 thickness. At the conclusion, the proportion stood, 

 3, 2, 2, the droppers thus capturing the same num- 

 ber, and the tail-fly a half more than either of them. 

 We also fished for several days with four flies of the 

 same kind, when the proportion was, 12, 7, 6, 8. The 

 tail-fly has the best chance, because in casting to the 

 opposite bank where the most trout are taken with the 

 fly, it alone reaches it. The gut is also only on one 

 side of it, whereas the others have gut on both sides. 

 It will be seen that after the tail-fly, the dropper 

 nearest the line has the next best chance, which we 

 ascribe to its being nearest the bank when casting 

 on the same side of the water on which we were 

 standing. The foregoing trials were made with the 

 view of ascertaining when a fly is not doing its duty 

 and ought to be changed ; they were all conducted 

 in a river which could be commanded from bank to 

 bank. In a large river we should suppose that the 

 proportions would be slightly different, and that the 

 tail-fly would not kill so much in proportion. 



The time of year when trout begin to take fly 

 readily entirely depends upon the nature of the river 

 and the season. They never rise freely at the arti- 

 ficial fly until they are accustomed to feed upon the 

 natural insect ; and the first insects which make 

 their appearance in any quantity are the March 

 browns. It is not until these flies have been a 

 week or ten days on the water, or at a time, varying 



