22 GNATS AND CRANE-FLIES. 



No. 5 is a very common yellow variety found about 

 the grassy or reedy margins in May and June. 



No. 6 is an olive coloured gnat and a great 

 favourite with me, either the winged or hackled 

 imitations are exceedingly successful, they float well, 

 and dressed in various sizes to suit the different waters, 

 are exceedingly useful lures. 



It seems rather invidious to praise the olive gnat 

 so much when its brethren, the black, the green, the 

 ruby, and the brown gnat are at hand, and each in its 

 turn is quite capable of upholding the high opinion we 

 have formed of the gnat tribe as patterns well worthy 

 of attention and careful imitation. 



All these gnats have a true aquatic history, and 

 may be seen emerging from the larval form on the 

 surface of the water, then they either take to flight or 

 quietly drift ashore or down stream as the case may 

 be. On a calm summer evening a gnat on a No. o o 

 hook will often do great execution, when a more 

 heavily dressed fly will meet with but scanty notice. 



The brown gnat is most in evidence towards the 

 end of the season, when it is quite a favourite. 



I may fairly say that gnats have often succeeded 

 in taking shy highly educated fish when other lures 

 failed ; and they have turned up trumps when for 

 a time at least, the success or failure of an expedition 

 was in the balance. 



They must be dressed on the small side and not 

 too bushy, and we prefer a fairly heavy thorax for two 

 reasons : 'first, because it is true to nature, and secondly, 



