SOME MORE FLY DRESSING 133 



a bright, sharp, stiff feather undoubtedly assists flotation, 

 and far better for the purpose than the saddle hackle so 

 often used is the spade-shaped shoulder hackle of a cock 

 of suitable colour in its finest fettle, especially for 

 spinners. 



There is no difficulty about getting such feathers of 

 excellent quality in all the common colours. The fowl 

 has to be obtained before it has been plucked. That is 

 all. A very few feathers will go a long way. They stand 

 out straight, and should not be tied in so as to cock up. 

 Being sharp and bright they throw the water well, and 

 give as much help in floating a fly as a number of turns of 

 hackle at the shoulder. 



BUZZ. 



A good deal of cheap scorn has been wasted upon the 

 excessive number of legs given by fly dressers to the arti- 

 ficial fly to ensure flotation, particularly to the Sedges. 

 I would ask, how often is it that the hackles of flies are taken 

 for legs ? Many of the sedges flutter upon the surface; 

 and may not the saying that they are dressed " buzz " 

 be wiser than it looks ? The effect of fluttering and the 

 effect of a bush of hackles may not look so dissimilar to 

 the trout. Palmers, I have no doubt, are as often taken 

 for struggling sedge flies as for the woolly bears and other 

 caterpillars they are fancifully supposed to represent. 



Then from certain points of view a good sharp cock's 

 hackle with the light through it is nothing but sheer sparkle. 

 It has no appearance of solidity at all, and it may be doubted 

 whether the fish sees much of it as leg at all. It may 

 merely give an effect of translucency to the wings. This 

 is, no doubt, one reason why high quality in hackles is so 

 desirable. 



