March 25, 1893] 
THE EISHING GAZETTE 
207 
It is found abundantly in Pennsylvania, at stated 
seasons. The body, pale blue fur, warped with 
purple silk, a small portion of which should be 
neatly picked out, to represent the legs of the fly, 
as the use of a hackle for this purpose in minute 
flies is incorrect. 
The Gravel or Spiuer Fly is first seen about 
the middle of April, at which time the gravel, 
in which these insects are bred, is literally covered 
by incalculable numbers of them. They are 
extremely delicate, and not often visible on cold 
days; on which, however, snccess is more pro¬ 
bable with this fly, than when they are to be 
found in such large quantities. They may be 
used from morning until evening ; and the trout 
are so passionately fond of them that they gorge 
themselves with this favourite food, retire to 
their secret haunts, and disappoint the most 
skilful endeavours of the angler. 
It is probably owing to the short duration of 
these flies, that the fish are so greedy in devour¬ 
ing them, as they are seldom to be found at the 
expiration of about three weeks from their first 
appearance. The wings are made of the feather 
from the wing of the cuckoo’s mate, the goat¬ 
sucker, or, in the absence of the preceding two, 
from the woodcock; the body of lead-coloured 
silk for the lower and middle parts, and a strip 
of black ostrich harl for the thick part near the 
shoulder, round which a small dark grizzled 
hackle should be twisted twice, and the fly is 
completed. 
The Granom or Green Tail is to be found on the 
water at the same time of the year as the spider 
fly, and is used with success early in the morning 
and late in the evening, whilst it is in season, 
which is rarely for a longer period than ten days. 
It is also a delicate fly, and not often out on 
cold days. It derives the name of “ green tail” 
from a bunch of eggs of a green colour, which 
drop on the water at the moment of the fly’s 
touching that element. The wings lie flat on the 
back, and are made of the shaded feather from 
the wing of a partridge or hen pheasant ; the 
body of dark fur from the hare’s ear, mixed with 
a little blue fur ; and for the tail the green harl 
from the eye of a peacock’s tail is the most showy 
material, although a small quantity of bright 
green wax (about the size of a pin’s head) 
attached to the hook is the best representation of 
nature. A yellow grizzled hackle should be used 
for the legs, or it may be dressed as a hackle, 
with the shaded feather from under a woodcock’s 
wing over the same body. 
The Hawthorn Fly is so-called from being 
usually found near the shrub of that name. It 
is a good killer, and may be used from the middle 
of April to the end of May, from ten o’clock 
until three. The wings are transparent, and may 
be made from the palest feather of a snipe or 
mallard’s wing; some use horn shavings, or the 
hard substance which is found in the core of an 
apple for this purpose ; the body of black ostrich 
harl, and a black hackle for legs. 
The Summer Dun is thicker in form than the 
generality of the dun flies, and is to bo dressed 
upon a hook with a short shank. 'Ihe body of 
the fur from a mole, ribbed with ash-coloured 
silk; the wings from a wood-pigeon, and an ash- 
coloured hackle for legs. A good fly during the 
summer months, in large waters. 
The Black Harl Fly is also a summer fly, and 
is a good killer in warm weather, early in the 
morning. The body is of ostrich harl, dressed 
thin and cut close; the wings, which are four in 
number, from the pale feather of the starling’s 
wing. 
The Orl Fly has every appearance of being 
produced from a cadis, and by some has been 
called the brown cadis fly. The body is large, 
and is successfully made of that part of the 
peacock’s tail feather which is perfectly free from 
a green cast; the wings from the feather of a 
brown hen, with a grizzled hackle for legs. The 
wings are four in number, and should lie flat on 
the back. If dressed as a hackle, a brown 
grizzled feather from the back of a cock is the 
best; and the body may occasionally be varied 
by the use of the fur from the body of a brown 
spaniel, mixed with mohair of a dark red or 
claret cast, and ribbed with orange silk. It 
appears about the end of May, and continues for 
two months. It is a good fly at all hours of the 
day, if the water be not very low. 
(To he continued.) 
MULLET FISHING 
AND OTHER SPORT ON THE BLACK- 
WATER RIVER. 
(Continued from, page 185.) 
By Alfred Jardine. 
In January, 1875, T. R-and I went for five 
days wild-fowling off the Essex coast. Our crew 
consisted of John and Harry Mussett, and John 
Mussett, jun., the poor lad who soon afterwards 
lost his life. 
He fired the big gun at, and killed a quantity 
of duck they had “ sailed,” and, carelessly 
taking up a small fowling-piece used to shoot 
the crippled birds with, he accidentally struck 
the hammer, exploded the gun, and the charge, 
entering under his right arm-pit, he bled to 
death before his father and uncle could get him 
ashore. 
We ordered our stores in Colchester; and, 
among other useful commodities, put aboard 
251b. of beef, 121b. bacon, butter, coffee, sugars, 
&c., &c. ; brandy, whiskey, and lemons. The 
Mussetts provided a bushel of oysters. 
Our “ battery ” consisted of the large punt- 
gun ; two four-bore singles, carrying charges of 
eleven drams of powder and four ounces of shot; 
also two double twelve-bores, for the “ cripples ” 
(or “ soldiers ”), as the winged birds were called. 
We sailed for “the Main” on Monday morning, 
and returned to Mersea Island the following 
Friday night. A keen frost had lasted for quite 
three weeks, and still continued ; the Blackwater 
presented a very Arctic appearance, owing to 
the large quantity of ice in it. N.E. gales had 
brought over myriads of wild fowl of all kinds 
from Norway, which had settled in such large 
numbers about the Buxey and Gunfleet Sands, 
in the Wallet and East-Swin Channels, that 
acres of sea were “ packed ” with geese, duck, 
widgeon, &c., &c., which “ sat ” so well, that we 
were able to sail within shot of them ; and when 
fired at, they rose like a cloud lifting from 
the water, only to pitch again and again, 
within moderate distance for “sailing,” and 
getting repeated shots. Thus, day by day we 
had a continuance of very fine sport, and our 
united bag consisted of three wild swans, 120 
geese, thirty-five brace duck, twenty-three brace 
widgeon, sixty grey plovers, nine curlews, and 
three crested grebes, which we brought to 
London, packed in large wine hampers, and gave 
many away to various friends. 
A “ string of curlews ” passed within range of 
my four-bore fowling-piece, I got three of them 
at one shot; whilst, from a large flock of plover 
which I “ punted ” at Pewit-spit, I shot with my 
four-bore, and “ gathered,” over fifty birds. They 
were fat as quail, and splendid eating. 
Returning on Friday night, we found much 
drift ice (tons of it) floating out of Mersea Creek 
with the falling tide ; and it was only by dint of 
pushing the cutter up against the current with 
our “ ((uant-poles,” that we, after much exertion, 
got to our anchorage, where T. R-and I went 
ashore, not sorry to regain the warmth and 
comfort of our inn. Wm. Traveller, the land¬ 
lord, had prepared a capital hot supper—in¬ 
cluding a' Christmas pudding—for us and our 
“ crow ” ; their father, James Mussett, a fine old 
man upwards of eighty, and his sons James and 
Thomas, we invited as guests, and all were 
delighted at the good sport we had had and so 
greatly enjoyed. 
Although T. R-- and I have been there in 
subsequent winters, also shooting on the Medway, 
and about “ The Nore,” getting fair sport; yet 
never since have we met with such success as 
during the week I have described. 
One day on Yantlet Creek (Medway) when 
duck, &c., were so wild we could not “ sail them ” 
near enough to kill, T. R——- loaded the big gun 
with “ double diamond ” rifle powder, and put in 
(as he termed it) “ an extra dose for luck,” the 
results being, that he burst the breech and blew 
off the lock, which flew between our heads, ripped 
a hole in the mainsail, and dropped in the sea, 
sixty yai’ds astern of the cutter; a very narrow 
escape for some of us. 
Off the Nore Light-ship, a large black-backed 
gull descended from a considerable height to the 
water, and captured a fish, apparently a whiting ; 
as it rose, I took a long shot and hit it hard ; it 
disgorged the fish, which dropped down into the 
sea ; after a few minutes the gull dropped also, 
and we sailed and secured it. 
At night we overheard our old “ skipper ” 
relating the incident thus; “ Mr. J. shot a huge 
girl, 100 yards off, that spewed up a codfish, 
long a,<i my leg.” 
An unpleasant and rather dangerous incident 
occurred to me. My companions put me ashore 
on Mersea-Spit and rowed away to another 
position, where duck were likely to pass in their 
evening flight inland. It was a rising tide, the 
sand was gradually submerged, got soft and 
softer, letting me sink to my knees and thence 
to my thighs, before they returned and rescued 
me; another half-hour, and the writer of this 
article would probably have been drowned. 
HEALTH TO MEN, DEATH TO 
TROUTS. 
By Lock o’ the Woods. 
What gives a man, generally speaking, a more 
healthful look than a week or two of successful 
fly-fishing ? See the bronzed appearance it gives 
to the pent-up city man, or even to the man 
whose business or recreation keeps him constantly 
in the open air; it is summed up in one word— 
health. Once more the hawthorn buds are be¬ 
ginning to burst out, and the bright yellow 
celandine is in bloom on the warm banks of the 
brooklet — both sure prognosticators that the 
beauteous trout, the prince of fishes, is again 
coming into season. Very soon now must be 
brought to light again the good old supple blue 
mahoe or greenheart, or it may be the brand 
new Multum or split cane of Ogden, Farlow, or 
Hardy, or one of their numerous imitators. 
It is possible, too, that a new check reel will 
have to be set up, together with some forty or 
fifty yards of waterproof tapered silk line, and 
its accompanying strong, yet fine, gut cast of a 
good nine feet in length. 
'The time, too, has almost come round again 
when the allurements of the artificial fly must 
once more be tried on this fish. Which will 
be the favourite patterns this season ? All, 
doubtless, in their turn—March Browns, Olive 
Duns, Bed and Blue Quill Gnats, Alders and 
Governors, and the Green and Grey Drakes in 
the May-fly time. Many of these flies are, per¬ 
haps, home made, and have been made up with 
much care and patience, and no little amateur 
skill, during the dull winter months, when the 
sound of the horn is not heard, and hounds are 
not running, or when, perchance, during the 
break up of the frost, the skates have again to 
be relegated to the saddle-room, or, clean and 
bright, are again hanging from the antlers in 
the hall of the old manor house or mansion. 
These home-made flies generally last much longer 
than many that are bought at so much per 
dozen, and which are often made up by people 
who have never seen a trout or trout stream, 
and who are actually ignorant of the wants and 
requirements of the fly-fisher. 
They are generally also much better killers, 
which I have often proved. The “ Windrnsh Otter,” 
as he was wont to be called, was very clever at 
making his own flies, and I once myself made 
a small rough fly with the wing of a partridge, 
and, on the bright, shallow, and glassy water of 
the Gloucestershire Coin, killed my two brace of 
fine trout before noon, and that, too, on a hot. 
sunny July morning. The fish seemed quite wild 
after this home-made one, I suppose it was some¬ 
thing different to them. 
Now, again, must be looked up the creel and 
landing-net, and the well-tried waders and 
brogues, and the other various little things that 
are ever dear to the heart of the fly-fisher, even 
to that same good old hat, which has done duty, 
perhaps, for several years past, and which by the 
end of last season had some scores of artificial 
flies sticking in it. 
In the north, and on rough boulder water, the 
artiflcial spinning minnow and the deadly 
Halcyon’s and Alexandra’s are often used, but 
on our quiet southern and south midland trout 
streams, such as the Kennett, Coin, and Wiudrush, 
and other public and private waters, they are 
seldom mot with—in many instances are not 
