CHOICE OF PATTERN Si 



devoted himself to the entomological side of the ques- 

 tion, and has also been interested in working out and 

 dressing patterns of flies, must feel a great satisfaction 

 in turning out one which is a truer and better imitation 

 of nature than the generality of those he had seen 

 before. No doubt he will fish this improved pattern 

 with a fuller sense of confidence in its efficacy than he 

 would with an inferior imitation, and, as has bten 

 so often written before, confidence in a particular fly is 

 one of the most potent factors tending to render it 

 successful in use." 



I do not apologize for giving this extract in extcnso 

 because it sets forth succinctly my notions on the sub- 

 ject, and clears the ground before giving advice as to 

 the flies to be used under various conditions and at 

 different seasons of the year. I have every reason to 

 thank critics for their favourable notices of my last 

 book, but in one respect some of them have, no doubt 

 unintentionally, misrepresented my views. They 

 suggest that I have failed to adduce good and sufficient 

 proof that the fish which were killed by these new 

 patterns would not have succumbed to the charms of 

 the old standard patterns comprised in the list given 

 by me in " Dry-Fly Entomology." I do not think that 

 I have ever advanced such a theory. 



I have given numerous examples of their successful 

 use, and summing up the results of the exclusive use 

 of these said new patterns during seven consecutive 

 seasons (to which since that time I can now add two 

 more) I said : " Looking back and considering the 



G 



