62 OLD FLIES IN NEW DRESSES 



I have, therefore, ventured to put them 

 all under the heading of "House-Fly." 

 The only difference which will ever have 

 to be made in the dressing given below 

 is in the body, and very rarely in the 

 hackle ; but these modifications must be 

 left to the fisherman, who must judge for 

 himself according to the flies he finds by 

 the water. 



I do not remember ever having met a 

 fisherman who had used an artificial House- 

 fly for trout. Trout however do feed on 

 them ; and in this case I can bring other 

 evidence than my own. 



Ronalds describes an experiment he 

 made in order to test the trout's power 

 of taste; and in this experiment he used 

 House-flies, to which he applied various 

 condiments, including red pepper. Though 

 his object was not to prove that trout fed 

 readily on House-flies, I think he proved 

 that they did so. 



Probably the commonest of these small 

 Diptera which is to be found by the water 

 is Musca corvina, Fab., which is the country 

 cousin of our well-known House-fly, though, 

 indeed, many of the flies which frequent 



