43 



250) tliat " ;i bhie or any (itiicr roloiiivd f\y, deadly on one river, is 

 repulsive to the fisii on another. I'"or that reason in a technical 

 an^lin^ sense- we may say there are ' Hlue rivers,' ' (Jrey rivers,' 

 etc ! " 



Ills object, obviously — to para|ihraso his young friend's words — 

 was to throw a new light on the art of choosing ,1 fly, and t(i raise this 

 art to a much higher level. 



To use general language, the recognition f)f Cause and Mffect — 

 this will bear repetition — arises when we e\i)erience, man\- limes over, 

 a number of successes with special flies, all recurring respectively 

 under similar conditions of local tastes, of weather, water, teiii])erature, 

 etc.- successes w^hich bear a unique relationship of antecedent and 

 consequent. 



(It is worth while noticing here that fortune sometimes smiles 

 on luck, for these successes may arise, though \ery seldom, from the 

 acciflental choice of the correct style of fly, and may in consequence 

 not conxey the lesson that a more experienced performer would 

 infallibly deduce from them.) 



To select off-hand one or two examples among the many — the 

 predisposition towards Grey flies, as commonly witnessed on the Lee, 

 arises at certain seasons from nothing else than the huge, ever present 

 blow fly, displaying speckled legs, body, and wings. 



This was the aii/sr of our introducing .Silver monke}''s fur for 

 part of (he toilette, and putting fibres of teal and gallina in the wings 

 an inno\ation which has vastl\' superseded the coarser, less spotted 

 donkey's fur, and the bead holding rabbit's fur of yore. The rf,r/ 

 nf the change, seen times out of number, is positively notorious, 

 notwithstanding our amiable critic's emjihatic statement that "strict 



