ARTIFICIAL FLIES, 115 
The Ant Flies—Largish head, thick shoulders, small 
waist, plump oval body, thickness of the shoulders, and 
near or about half the length of the fly. Wing on each side 
of top of shoulder, to slant upwards and from the body ; 
leg at the breast. May be hackled over top of shoulder, 
and trimmed for legs. 
The colors, shades, and refiections of the natural flies 
must be imitated, as well as their sizes and shapes. Defects 
in any of these lead to disappointment. Books are imper- 
fect guides to colors and shades. To pursue the art to its 
best perfection, it is necessary to take the first steps. The 
materials for an artificial fly should be compared and 
matched with the natural one, by the eye and judgment of 
the flyfisher. The top and under side of feathers, for wings, 
must resemble, and the transparent tinge, with any marks 
or freckles, must match that of the natural fly. Take the 
dead fly on a needle point, and compare it with the arti- 
ficial materials. Match the wings with the feather; the 
body with silk ; legs with hair, etc. Hold them together, 
side by side, up to the light and in the sunshine, and look 
through them as we may suppose the fish do, turning them 
into different positions in order to catch their foundation 
colors, with their tinges, reflections, and hues. This gives 
the flyfisher a grounded knowledge of the natural flies ; and 
the materials once selected and proved, become familiar in 
his mind and items in his book, with which he can after- 
wards picture life with but little trouble, and fish his flies 
with the greatest confidence. 
Feathers for wings must be small fibred, close and thin, 
of silky surface and transparent texture, that will least 
shrink or change color on the water. Fine old glossy birds, 
about Christmas, produce the best. The length of the 
wings of the fly gives the length of the fibres of the feather. 
The olden craft selected the barred feathers from the inside 
and outside of woodcock wings, for the barred wings of the 
