28 



Societies, showing the relative sizes and colours. 

 These samples were selected from the stock of 

 Messrs. Alfred and Son, of Moorgate Street, where 

 I generally obtain what I require, and find their flies 

 are to be depended on. As with gut, so with flies, 

 it is false economy to buy the cheapest. It requires 

 a deal of patience at times before you can hook a 

 fish ; and, after you have been so fortunate, it is 

 terribly annoying to find the gut draw, and leave 

 the fly in its mouth. To guard against this, burn all 

 your old flies at the end of the season, except one or two 

 of a sort for patterns, and this is another reason why 

 you should not have a heavy stock ; and take care, in 

 buying your new stock at the spring of the year, that 

 you get new, and not those of the previous year. 



In tying gut to the hook, a little varnish generally 

 touches the gut, and at this most critical point the 

 varnish hardens the gut and causes it to snap. This, 

 of course, does not occur with eyed hooks, but even 

 with them it is better to have new flies than old, as 

 the colours are fresher and the tying more secure. 



Messrs. Ogden and Scotford, the well-known firm 

 of Cheltenham, have lately sent me a few samples of 

 their flies, tied by Mrs. Ogden, who has long en- 

 joyed a very high reputation for her tying. They 

 are beautifully made, and I have no doubt will 

 prove good killers ; but, as the season is now over, 

 have had no opportunity of trying them. 



