8 OLD FLIES IN NEW DRESSES 



to the trout an accurate imitation of the 

 natural fly as it appears to him when not 

 trying to raise itself from the water. 



I have on many occasions watched the 

 behaviour of an Alder when it has fallen 

 on the water. At first it moves its wings 

 rapidly, but soon stops, to begin again, 

 however, when it has rested. This is 

 repeated time after time, but after each 

 succeeding struggle, the interval of rest 

 becomes longer. In many cases, however, 

 the fly hardly struggles at all. 



In observing many other flies which had 

 fallen on the water, I have seen the same 

 sequence of events occur, though some 

 flies struggle to raise themselves from the 

 surface much more than others, as in the 

 case of the Blue-bottle. 



The first trial that I made of a fly dressed 

 with the wings in the natural position was 

 with an Alder. To make this trial com- 

 plete, I purchased some Alders, dressed 

 according to the most approved patterns, 

 from three well-known firms of tackle 

 makers. When I got to the water-side 

 the trout were rising freely, and the banks 

 were literally swarming with Alders. I saw 



