116 ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 
early and light brown, the clouded feathers from under 
the wing of the hen pheasant, for the clouded wings of the 
March brown ; the partridge grey from the breast ; brown 
from the shoulders ; and spotted red from the tail for the 
veined and checkered wings of the Royal Charlie, check- 
wing, mottled brown and red-brown drakes. For the light ' 
and blue drakes (and the bloa shades of the plain wings of 
some others) they took from the starling, snipe, etc. ; and 
for the dark drake (watchet) from the waterhen. For the 
dark shades of wings of some others from the swift, black- 
bird, etc. For the wings of the freckled duns they took 
the freckled feather of the moorcock, where they found for 
others of the dark stickbait tribes, and for the tawny and 
light wings of the codbait tribe, the light, grannam, sanded, 
plover dun, etc., they took from the brown owl, landrail, 
dotterel, plover, etc. These feathers have been chosen by 
the anglers of yore to imitate the wings of these aquatic 
chiefs of the small-fly list, which are the principal flies they 
imitated. These feathers still hold good, their popularity 
seems to have outlived the flies. They are all fished by 
the craft, not at haphazard through the day, but on the 
days and at the hours when they, or such of them as shew 
themselves on the waters to the fish. If better matches are 
known or can be found in other birds, adopt them, for the 
flyfisher must look round for himself and scrutinise every 
fly, or he may often be deceived. All is, when his flies are 
like those the fish are taking, he will have the best chance 
of a kill. The feathers on the outsides of the dotterel 
wings, with light edges, assimulate naturally with the ends 
of the closed wings of several species of browns and duns, 
as they shew at the end of the body. The wings of mavy 
of the flies are thick and veiny at the shoulders, and the trans- 
parent shade lighter at the ends ; and the breast and shoul- 
der in general shew a shade or two darker than the body. 
Suitable grounds with marks, mottles, etc., are oft to be 
