152 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



The Brown Spinner. This is another capital fly. It is very 

 similar to the red spinner, and may be dressed very like it, 

 save that the body should be made of not so red but of lighter 

 and browner silk, ribbed with fine gold wire. The hackle 

 should be of a lighter red, not such a blood-red as the red 

 spinner, and the wing should also be of a shade or two lighter 

 hue. It will be found more plentiful towards the afternoon and 

 evening. The angler will find his account in using the red 

 spinner when the blue dun has been on in the day, and the 

 brown one when the yellow dun has prevailed. There is 

 also 



A Larger Yellow Dun. I call it a yellow dun because it 

 very much resembles the fly I have mentioned above, and not 

 because it is the same fly, for I doubt if it belongs to the same 

 family. In some places it is called the large blue. It would 

 more appropriately be termed the large yellow. It should be 

 dressed of one or perhaps two sizes larger than the yellow dun, 

 and with a more prevalent olive tinge ; in other respects, the 

 dressing given above may be tolerably closely observed. Mr. 

 Ronalds, in speaking of this fly, does not appear to estimate it 

 very highly, but it is a capital fly nevertheless, and may be used 

 throughout the season with great advantage, as I have seen it 

 favourably noticed upon the water even in the month of 

 September. 



The next best fly to my mind and it is a great favourite of 

 mine when it comes on is the 



Little Iron-blue Dun (see Plate VIII, Fig. 7, p. 134). The 

 iron-blue dun of Ronalds ; the iron-blue drake of Theakstone ; 

 little iron-blue, etc. etc., of Wade (who has more than a dozen 

 different dressings and names for this fly) ; little dark bloa of 

 Jackson, little dark dun, etc. etc. "Ephemera" does not mention 

 this fly at all, unless a whirling dun, given in April, is meant for 

 it. Jackson does not give this fly till June, though all other 

 authors introduce it in April. Nevertheless, he does give its 

 transformation or imago in May. It comes on whenever there 

 is a glint of sunshine on the cold and windy days towards the 

 end of April, and the trout appear very averse to let any of 

 them escape. The angler may be wondering at the dullness of 

 the fish. All perhaps has been quiet ; he has hardly taken a 

 fish or seen a rise for half an hour. Suddenly he hears a 

 " plop/' then another. He looks about and discovers an iron- 

 blue or two on the stream. They are the advanced guard. 

 Anon the main army comes on, and down the water they sail 



