SUPPLEMENTARY IN THE MATTER OF FLIES 35 



taining some nearly full-grown larvae of the alder, 

 and although he assured me that they were always 

 in the mud, and never seen by the trout, I made a 

 sort of imitation of them which rather pleased me, 

 and I tried it in Germany in mid-May. Whether 

 the trout saw or did not see the natural insect in 

 that stage I don't pretend to know, but they took 

 the imitation with such avidity that I speedily 

 wore out my three specimens. They were only 

 made as an experiment, and I tried no more, as 

 I felt qualms in my mind as to whether it was 

 quite the game to imitate this insect in this stage, 

 any more than it would be to fish an imitation of 

 the caddis. I am therefore not giving my recipe. 

 Nor do I give that for making a caddis or gentle 

 which I once tried, with mad success for a few 

 minutes, and gave up, conscience-stricken. 



I was at one time greatly interested in an 

 attempt to imitate the fresh-water shrimp, and I 

 tied a variety of patterns, including several with 

 backs of quill of some small bird dyed greenish- 

 olive, and ribbed firmly while wet and impres- 

 sionable with silk or gold wire ; but somehow I 

 never used or attempted to use any one of them. 

 I, however, gave one to an acquaintance, and he 

 tied it on, and, standing on a footbridge, cast it 

 downstream over some trout which were reputed 

 uncatchably shy. At the first cast a big fish 

 rushed at the shrimp, slashed it, and went off 

 leaving the one-time owner lamenting. 



5—2 



