CHALK-STREAM FISHING WITH DRY FLY. 345 



trast to the black body, and which cannot be imitated by 



feather. 



This is how I make my pattern. On a 00 or 000 

 hook I put a longish body of black ostrich herl, which 

 has first been stripped. Then I cut a strip of pike 

 scale the proper length and shape to represent the two 

 folded wings and tie it fiat on the top of the hook, 

 taking care to show the projecting bit above mentioned. 

 Then over and in front of the wing I take two or three 

 turns of a small black starling's feather, and the fly is 

 finished. It does not float very well, but in fine still 

 weather it is very effective ; and the pike scale, tied as 

 I have described, will stand a great deal of whipping. 



Those who object to the pike scale wing can substi- 

 tute starling feather, but the fly will be less lifelike, and 

 on a hot August day certainly less killing. 



X. THE SEDGE. 



The last two or three seasons this fly has not preserved its 

 reputation as a standard pattern for late fishing on a summer's 

 evening. It has been a mystery to many who used to look 

 upon it as a never-failing resource. A few years ago it killed 

 splendidly at Winchester ; and I remember seeing a man come 

 to the Old Barge stream, at eight o'clock one evening in 

 August, and kill five brace of good trout with bis favourite 

 sedge. He rarely used anything else in the evening ; and 

 I, myselfi at that time fished it with more confidence than 

 any other fly. But I have done very little with it lately, and 

 my stock of sedges has not wanted replenishing for a long 

 time. 



^\Tien the trout and grayling return to their old tastes, the 

 following will probably be found the best dressing for the sedge 

 and its variations : 



(i) The Silver Sedge, which I believe is no sedge at all, but 



