206 SALMON AND TROUT. 
large proportion of the fish he hooked, he would condemn the 
Limerick hook and try another description of bend, say a sproat; 
with this he might fish all the succeeding week when salmon 
were taking well, and lose hardly a fish, He would then 
adopt the sproat and say there was no hook like it, and he 
would fish with it until he again came across fish that were 
rising badly, when the sproat in its turn would be condemned 
and perhaps the Limerick again adopted. He would thus goon 
changing from year to year, never being able to give a decisive 
opinion as to which is best to use; and that is precisely my 
case. If, however, I have a preference for one shape over 
another, I would take the Limerick, as-I think a fly looks 
better when dressed in this shape than in any other. 
With regard to patterns of flies, my favourite is the Jock 
Scott, and if I were told that I was only allowed to fish with 
one pattern that is the one I should choose; but in any case, 
with half a dozen flies in addition of different sizes and colours, 
I should be quite content to go ona fishing expedition and 
would engage to hold my own. Many salmon fishers, however, 
prefer a larger selection, and the following list of some of the 
most popular standard patterns may perhaps assist them in 
making their choice. ; 
The selection has been made to embrace flies which are all 
more or less generval—suitable, that is, to the generality of 
rivers—rather than those having a comparatively restricted 
range, however popular and successful they may be in particular 
localities. 
The ‘descriptions’ of and remarks about all but a few of 
the last flies are by Mr. George M. Kelson, who has made 
the question of salmon flies and their dressing a special study. 
(Messrs. Foster, Ashbourne, have patented a tinsel of platinum 
—‘silver’ of course—which it is claimed will neither tarnish nor 
corrode. The ‘Sunbeam,’ they call it. The experiments I have 
tried seem, thus far, to bear out their statements.—H. C.-P.] 
