SUPPLEMENTARY IN THE MATTER OF FLIES 25 



dressing in use; from John o' Groat's to Land's End, 

 and see what features we ought to borrow from 

 them. If we make up our minds, as I think we 

 shall, that it is desirable to expose the body of our 

 fly freely, we shall not adopt any system which 

 lays the wings low over the back of the fly, that 

 type being designed to secure what is called " a 

 good entry " for a dragging fly, and we have 

 nothing to do with dragging flies or any form of 

 river raking or dredging, or with any flies which, 

 like the Devonshire types, carry superabundance 

 of bright cock's hackles. So we are limited to the 

 systems which dress their flies with upright wings, 

 like the Tweed and Clyde types, and to the soft 

 hackled Yorkshire style. 



The conditions, however, of our waters confine 

 us to tiny patterns — Nos. and 00 hooks in the 

 vast majority of cases, and occasionally No. i — 

 and the supply of tiny soft absorbent hackles from 

 birds other than poultry, sufficiently small to leave 

 the body well exposed, is hardly to be had. So, 

 taking one consideration with another, it would 

 seem that the Tweed and Clyde patterns, being 

 used on a broad and in many places equably- 

 flowing river, wfll have advantages enough to 

 invite a trial. 



Now, what are the features of the Tweed and 

 Clyde patterns ? First there is the spare body, 

 dressed with tying silk only, with or without wire 

 ribbing, or lightly dubbed with soft fur, making 



4 



