222 NOTES ON THE MONTHS FOR FLY-FISHING. 



The Grannum, or Green-tail, makes its appearance 

 in this month. This is a flat-winged fly, of the size 

 and shape of the Sand fly, with the addition of a 

 green appendage at the end of the body, which is its 

 egg-pouch. This fly is quite a favourite with fisher- 

 men in April, but we confess we have seldom done 

 much with it till the latter part of summer. 



MAY. 



At this season of the year the fish leave the deep 

 water ; and sport on small streams is now good. The 

 best flies for this month are the Hare's Ear, Yellow 

 Dun of May, Iron Blue, and its transformation the 

 Jenny Spinner, the Alder fly, and the Yellow Sally. 

 The Green Drake, or May fly, seldom appears on any 

 stream before the last week in May or the beginning 

 of June, under which month we give a descriptive 

 account of the various methods of using it. The 

 little Iron Blue will now be found very abundant 

 upon most waters, especially in the Midland and 

 Southern counties. Its local appellations are nume- 

 rous, but being precisely the colour of a piece of new 

 iron, the very appropriate and descriptive term, Iron 

 Blue, is more generally adopted. The fly appears a 

 shade lighter upon the body in this month, a mauve 

 colour prevailing. This fly assumes no other name 

 upon undergoing this change of colour in the body, 

 but is universally recognised as being one and the 

 same fly. Were this the case with the larger species 

 of duns, much complication would be avoided. To 

 the entomological student, the habits of this little insect 



