THE ABERDEENSHIRE DEE 263 



dragon-flies, the Eagle completely knocks all such possibilities 

 on the head, as it is like nothing on, over, or under the earth. 

 The Dee flies are dressed upon hooks specially made for them : 

 these are very long in the shank, with the Limerick bend. The 

 large class of flies run from about No. 2 in the given scale, 

 down to No. 6, but with this condition : the shank of the hook 

 which represents the No. 2 size of bend is just an inch longer 

 for the Dee flies, while that of No. 6 is an inch and a half, the 

 intermediate ones being of proportionate length. For smaller 

 flies, ordinary Limerick hooks are used, even down to an 

 ordinary No. 7. or 8 hook. 



The Gled Wing or Red Wing, as it is termed, is perhaps the 

 most useful of the local flies. Tag, silver tinsel ; tail, gold 

 pheasant saddle ; body, one-third orange-yellow, and two- 

 thirds claret, or light purple claret mohair, dressed very 

 sparely ; broadish silver tinsel laid on rather thinly and in 

 long spirals ; black heron's hackle of the largest size, or two 

 if one will not go far enough, dressed down to the yellow 

 mohair. They must be of the longest fibre, the longer the 

 better ; teal hackle on the shoulder, without which no Dee 

 fly is thought complete ; wings, two good strips of swallow- 

 tailed gled of the largest fibre, or of red dun turkey of the like 

 colour. Of course, these feathers must be of thin substance 

 and fine in the fibre, to give them play, and they are to be 

 set apart a rather nice operation to do neatly, the strips 

 requiring to be carefully prepared first by tying in at the 

 extreme butt ; no head, as it is thought to cause a ripple, while 

 the sharp head of the regular Dee fly cuts the water with a 

 smooth even gliding motion, opening and shutting its large 

 fibres with most life-like appearance. 



The Tartan (Plate XVII, Fig. 2, p. 269) is a strange-looking 

 fly and is rather a troublesome fly to dress. Tag, gold tinsel ; 

 tail, gold pheasant rump ; body, half orange and half scarlet- 

 red mohair laid on sparely, of course ; broadish gold tinsel 

 also spare ; hackle, first a stripped sandy-red cock's hackle 

 (that is, only one side of it to be used, the other being stripped 

 off), and on top of this, the large blue-grey hackle or feather 

 from the heron's back and rump ; the larger the better, they 

 cannot be too large, as when the hackle is laid on, the fibres 

 are expected to extend from the very head to the farthest bend 

 of the hook. It is an awkward feather to lay on, as are all 

 heron's hackles, being very delicate. It should be tied in, to 

 commence from as low down as it can be conveniently tied, 



