4 OLD FLIES IN NEW DRESSES 



year after year imquestioningly ; and 

 though he himself would certainly not 

 have known, unless he had been told, 

 what natural fly the imitation he is using 

 is meant to represent, he expects the 

 trout to do so at once. 



There has been much discussion recently 

 as to whether trout have the power of 

 discriminating between different colours, 

 but no one has ever cast a doubt on their 

 power of discriminating between different 

 shapes ; yet in most of these imitations it 

 is not the colour that is wrong, but the 

 shape. The wings of a fly undoubtedly 

 play a most important part in forming the 

 outline, and consequently the general ap- 

 pearance of the fly. Therefore, if they are 

 not put in the natural position, the whole 

 contour of the imitation must be entirely 

 different from that of the natural fly. 



It seems, however, judging by the 

 standard works on the subject, that there 

 is practically but one recognised position 

 for the wings of the artificial fly, as the 

 difference between the position of divided 

 wings and wings dressed flat together is, 

 after all, but slight. No one seems yet 



