58 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS 



man in Warwickshire), and several of which I noted 

 as being of a superior kind for wings to my favourite 

 flies. The drake of the pocheral, or great red-headed 

 widgeon, I would prefer as wings for my first fly. 

 The gadwall or greywill the saddle feathers of hia 

 back, and those over his groin, are also excellent for 

 the same purpose. 



The web or sheet part of the wing of the great 

 grey gull, as well as his tail, is splendid for the wings 

 of very light salmon flies, grey in place of pure white 

 this for my third fly. The greater gull and com- 

 mon sea-maw have beautiful feathers of an azure 

 white still rather superior for the same fly. Then 

 the cock shoveller has feathers on the saddle and over 

 his loins charming for a fine dun fly, and his tail is 

 valuable for beautiful light speckled wings. The 

 buzzard and kite are alike excellent for light dun 

 wings for a large fly ; and for a duller shade there 

 is a speckled feather in the spread of the pea-fowl's 

 wing finely adapted for a hook of large or middle 

 size, and easily tied on without separating the pile ; 

 but with a little trouble in the selection, the turkey 

 produces nearly all the varieties of mixture and 

 shades really necessary. 



In collecting and preserving feathers, I would 

 recommend to select merely the feather, or that part 



