128 THE WAY OF A TROUT WITH A FLY 



push the points back towards the eye, divide them equally 

 and bring over the waste ends, tie down with two turns 

 of silk, and break or cut off. Next tie down your wing- 

 case material with two or three turns over the points laid 

 towards the eye, and cut or break off the points close. 

 The rest of the operation is carried out as first described. 



Any one of these methods, by the way, maybe employed for 

 beetles, more wing-case fibre being used, and the whole being 

 brought over from the tail instead of the middle of the hook. 



For nymphs with freckled legs, brown partridge hackles, 

 brown or grey partridge hackles dyed, summer duck 

 hackles dyed in various shades of olives, or even undyed, 

 make very effective legs. For self-coloured legs the fibre 

 of the wings of a variety of birds, such as starling, landrail, 

 fieldfare, etc., are excellent. It must be remembered that 

 the legs of nymphs are stouter in appearance than the 

 fibre of the ordinary hackle. Good effects may be produced 

 with the yellow-pointed fibres of the golden plover. It is 

 probable that if these patterns are found generally success- 

 ful there will be a variety of useful. suggestions forthcoming. 

 The grey feather which supports the tail of the peacock, 

 dyed in a variety of hues, will be found, when wound on 

 like a quill, to make an admirable representation of the 

 lower half of the bodies of certain nymphs. It has an edge 

 which stands up at right angles to the hook, and suggests 

 the branchiae of natural insects. 



In dressing nymphs one should remember that, though 

 they should not fall on the water hard enough to scare 

 the trout, their composition should ensure prompt sinking, 

 and if the trout be handy I am of opinion that they will 

 not sink very far. And I shall not be surprised if in a 

 few years the practice prevails of fishing open rough rivers, 

 where the wet fly at present holds its own, with a winged 

 fly at point and two or three nymphs as droppers. 



