APRIL. 31 
self, like all others, is the truest teacher. Unlike the green 
drake that rarely uses her legs on the water, but moves 
with the current, the stone fly seems at home on its surface, 
she drops and runs upon it with the same ease and freedom 
she does on the ground—trotting and making her way 
across or down the streams, and lands where she lists, per- 
fectly dry: it is thus she presents herself to the trout— 
paddling in quick motion, lively and dry, in various direc- 
tions on the water ; and the angler must present her to him 
in the same way as near as he is able, with a tough springy 
rod and a line about the same length, two-thirds of it fine 
strong gut. Move, unseen, with easy motion up the stream, 
and dab the fly with precision on the eddies behind stones, 
or other places of succour where the trout takes his station ; 
or let it glide free and natural down on the current over 
his likely haunts; never drag it against the stream (un- 
natural for any fly), or suffer it to drown, but succour and 
rezover it by easy lifts and gentle jerks, to keep it on the 
water alive and dry, for a dead fly hanging at the hook like 
a piece of wet moss will not be taken on the top, and a good 
artificial will maintain its appearance better in the water. 
No time need be lost, for the stroke of the trout is often 
quicker than the falling of the fly: if he refuse at first 
sight, he rarely stands bantering, try about, hit the mark, 
and preserve the fly—be handy with the net, and days may 
be seen for every fly a trout. Fish early and late, as dark- 
ness will allow, and on drizzly days, which sometimes 
brings the flies out. At times of flood, in May and June, 
trout are very voracious, and screened by the thickness of 
the water, cry havoc among minnows, bullheads, etc., but 
when the flood has subsided and the waters are brown, the 
stone fly comes in with great force. She is a true trier of 
skill, and probably the best test of the general merits of the 
flyfisher. Each rustic craftsman along the banks of the 
winding streams, where the true art and science of flyfish- 
