94 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS 



coloured, as comparing it with the living fly when 

 both seen together dry on our hand. In such case 

 it may be advisable to yield to what we may find 

 conducive to our success for the time being, rather 

 than to stand starchly to a general principle, how- 

 ever supported by our ordinary philosophy. 



The grand mistake of all the authors I have seen 

 on fly fishing, is their supposition that the flies are 

 alighting on the water from above, whereas, could 

 they catch up the idea, or be persuaded when told, 

 that the flies arise to the surface from the bottom 

 where they are bred, sheets of useless speculation 

 might be saved ; such as about making your cast of 

 flies alight softly on the surface, like living flies 

 alighting from the air above, &c. Water flies -do 

 arise from the surface occasionally (as well as for 

 sexual contact, like midges, bees, and birds such as 

 snipes and swallows,) and sometimes alight on it 

 after. One of a thousand may do this, and on 

 alighting be met by a ready trout ; but tins is rather 

 an accidental alighting than a general case, as the 

 trouts are really rather feeding 011 those arising from 



in the March Browns ; and from this circumstance a person dressing 1 

 from a male pattern of this insect might make the artificial fly a 

 good deal larger, and find it a killing one, but the same result, we 

 are certain, would not follow with other flies, and in clear summer 

 waters. [EDR.] 



