THE MAY FLY 161 



and transparent, and neat and rounded in shape. It comes 

 on thickly on some streams at dusk. On the Teme, for example, 

 I have seen it heavily on. As it comes on at dusk it is difficult 

 to see this fly on the surface, so delicate and imperceptible is it, 

 and yet, to the angler's annoyance, the trout will be rising 

 heavily without his being able to discover at what. There 

 are many night flies which rarely show at all by day, both 

 amongst the Ephermeidae and the Phryganidae, and this is one of 

 them. It is dressed thus : body, a dirty yellowish buff, 

 ribbed with light lemon silk hackle, light blue dun-grey in 

 tail. Tail, two whisks of the same ; wings, light starling 

 dipped in onion dye. Hook, No. 10 or n. 



The Little Yellow May Fly. This miniature May fly which 

 usually precedes the real May fly about a week or ten days, 

 changes in a few days into a spinner of a pale-golden hue. 

 It should be dressed on a No. 8 or 9 hook ; the body of buff- 

 coloured crewel, ribbed with bright yellow silk ; tail, two 

 strands of buff hackle ; wings, similar to those of the green 

 drake, or mallard's grey speckled feather stained pale olive- 

 yellow ; legs, a honey dun hackle. I have had good sport 

 with this fly. It sometimes also makes a very useful fly for 

 evening fishing for trout. 



The needful flies for May are the alder and the little blue. 

 The stone and the pale evening dun and the little yellow May 

 fly are not general, but are useful where they prevail. The 

 list is short because most of the flies for last month are the best 

 for this. 



JUNE. The May Fly or Green Drake, called in Wales the 

 Cadow (see Plate VIII. Fig. i, p. 134). This famous fly usually 

 makes its first appearance in the last week in May, but is most 

 abundant during the first fortnight of June. The swarms of 

 May fly which are found in some rivers in favourable seasons 

 are perfectly marvellous. Fish, birds, and other animals prey 

 on them incessantly from their birth, and yet their numbers 

 seem inexhaustible, and after a warm sunny day the quiet 

 corners and still eddies may be seen smothered with them to 

 such an excess that the angler might, if he chose, sweep them up 

 by teaboards full at a time. It is most abundant just before 

 its disappearance, and on the last two days what is called the 

 " great rise " takes place, when they come out more thickly 

 than ever, and after this but a few stragglers are seen ; and 

 the trout, for some days gorged and glutted with the unwonted 

 excess, are torpid and disinclined to move. In this nature 



