308 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 
colored hackle round the shoulder, and ordinary red hackle 
lower down. 
This fly has always been with me a great favorite, more 
particularly if the water is clearing out after rain, and with 
confidence I recommend it; at the same time, I would have 
two or three sizes, the choice to be dictated by the size of 
water, color, and hour. Some persons, in addition, have 
forked it with two or three hairs of the squirrel for tail; 
and a very worthy friend and admirable fly-fisher, whose 
success was a guarantee of his skill, used to affirm that 
when fish wouldn’t rise at “the drummer” you might as 
well go to bed. As the results will show, my couch was. 
not put in requisition; for ere many minutes I touched a 
splendid fish, but unfortunately did not hold him. After a 
few minutes without success, I moved a very heavy fish 
without touching him. Again I gave him a chance, and he 
tumbled over the fly like a porpoise, without any apparent 
inclination to take. The third time that I offered, however, 
I was more successful, for in striking I hooked the fish foul. 
The result was curious, and far from satisfactory; for this 
fellow put me through a course of spurts which opened my 
optics, and further convinced me of the uncertainty of the 
movements or plan of escape that is probable to be adopted 
by the impaled. What was my surprise—and I am confi- 
dent many others would have been similarly affected—to 
see my victim remain on the surface, not jumping out of 
the stream, but beating the water with his tail, and violent- 
ly struggling, making the liquid fly for feet around. For 
several moments this continued, when, changing operations, 
down stream he went with surprising velocity. The ‘reel 
screeched, and I followed with agile and careful steps, when 
—confound it! the devil take it!—readers, you must ex- 
cuse, remember the aggravation—my rod broke at the fer- 
rule of the second joint, and my line returned to my feet 
