Artificial Flies. 245 



founded upon, the experience and observations of fly-fish- 

 ers for many generations past. 



These rules, so far as they apply to black bass fly-fishing, 

 are few and simple : 



1. Flies should be small, rather than large, the average 

 trout fly being usually large enough. 



2. On bright days, and with clear, low, or fine water, 

 flies should be quite small, and of subdued, dark, or neutral 

 tints. 



3. For cloudy days, and high, turbid, or rough water, 

 larger and brighter flies should be used. 



4. For very dark days, or from sunset until dark, or on 

 moonlight evenings, gray or whitish flies, of good size, 

 should be employed. 



I shall not go into an entomological description of flies 

 and their counterfeits, for it is neither requisite nor advis- 

 able, so far as bass flies are concerned. For those who 

 feel an interest in this subject, however, I can recommend 

 the several fine works published in England on the con- 

 struction of trout and salmon flies; among the best of 

 which are Eonald's " Fly-Fisher's Entomology," and Pen- 

 nell's "Modern Practical Angler." The best book, how- 

 ever, ever written on the subject, and the one most useful 

 to the American angler, is " Favorite Flies and their His- 

 tories," by Mary Orvis Marbury. 



I will merely state that the majority of artificial flies 

 are of two kinds, and are intended to represent the perfect 

 winged insects of certain orders^, and the larvge of others; 

 thus, most trout flies are the pretended imitations of some 

 of the species of the orders Diptera and Neuroptera, the 

 former comprising the two-winged insects, as the gnats, 

 mosquitoes, midges, etc., and the latter the four-winged 

 insects, as the May-flies, dragon-flies, etc. The larval 

 form of fly is supposed to represent a caterpillar, and is 



