RIVER FISH AND FISHING. 395 
imitating the consistence and softness of the original, and 
consequently do not take, nearly so well as their appear- 
ance would lead one to expect. The Archimedian minnow 
spins beautifully, and so do some others constructed on 
similar principles, and all will take good fish, but certainly 
not so well as the real minnow. In many localities, how- 
ever, these are very scarce, and there the substitute is 
certainly useful. Mr. Flinn’s flexible minnows are far 
the best, as they are soft and yielding to the grasp of 
the fish; they are made of gutta percha, painted very 
closely in imitation of the minnow, gudgeon, &c., and are 
of sizes suited to all fish, from the trout to the salmon. 
The Archimedian, on the other hand, is hard and inflexi- 
ble, and though it spins well, and is to the eye all that can 
be desired, yet from its hardness to the touch it is very 
apt to deter fish from a close approach, and is not so suc- 
cessful as Mr. Flinn’s imitation. Mr. Blacker, also, has 
recently introduced a modification of the “ devil-bait,” 
with the addition of a pair of Archimedian fins; this is 
said to spin well, and to take good fish, but I know noth- 
ing personally of its properties. 
Artificial flies are so numerous, and their importance 
is so great, that a great part of the angler’s time is gener- 
ally occupied in mastering a knowledge of their various 
forms, and the mode of tying them. All of them are 
composed of three essential parts : first, the hook; second, 
the gut or loop to attach the hook to the line; and third, 
the various articles tied on the hook for the purpose of 
imitating the natural fly. The angler will have no diffi- 
culty in procuring his hooks and gut, both of which, how- 
