July 12, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
35 
the desertion of their nests, it renders them 
suspicious, and no martin appears until June of 
the following year, when a lone young male will 
stay around for a few weeks, then return the 
next summer with a mate and thus start again. 
I have now had the martins four successive 
years, and at this early date (May 25) there are 
thirty pairs building while more are arriving 
daily. The largest colony in Maine is said to 
be in Presque Isle and to consist of sixty pairs. 
Anyone interested in having these birds nest 
near them should build rain-tight bird houses 
with only one door to each room. If on poles, 
the houses should be sixteen or more feet from 
the ground, with tin around the poles as a pro¬ 
tection from cats. A house built in this way 
will probably have a few of the birds in a year 
or two if other birds, particularly the English 
sparrows, can be kept out. 
The following incident gave me an insight 
into the nature of the English sparrow. A large 
number of eave swallows were nesting under 
the eaves of the barn. One day I noticed some 
of their eggs on the ground and was unable to 
determine the cause of such an accident, until 
suddenly there emerged from one of the eave 
swallow’s nests a female English sparrow, with 
her bill driven into an egg. which she dropped 
at my feet. This destruction of their eggs 
caused the departure of the eave swallows, and 
they have never returned. A shotgun seems to 
be the only satisfactory riddance of the English 
sparrows, which if left alone will keep up a 
continual struggle to gain possession of the mar¬ 
tin houses, and will sometimes succeed in driv¬ 
ing away the martins. 
The interest in the purple martin is wide¬ 
spread, as is evidenced by the many houses built 
for them through the country, and to those who 
are successful in establishing a colony of the 
birds the study of their habits will afford many 
a pleasurable and delightful hour. 
Casting the Stone-Fly. 
About the second week in May, the far- 
famed stone-fly (Perla), or “May-fly of the 
North,” makes its thrice welcome appearance 
upon many of our Northern waters. Like all 
good things, its visit is of brief duration, and 
by the middle of June the cream of stone-fly 
fishing is over—on most streams, at all events. 
During the two or three weeks in which its 
presence is gladdening the heart of the angler 
and the stomach of the trout, there is every 
opportunity for creeling splendid lots of bonnie, 
red-dappled fellows. As is well known, trout 
are voracious feeders upon these (to them) 
luscious tit-bits. Big ones and little ones alike 
are apt to be somewhat reckless at this eventful 
period, when— 
“. . . Along the pebbled strand, 
The stone-fly from its shell now crawls to land.” 
Therefore, the angler may rest assured that 
a good time awaits him if he goes to work the 
right way. Fishing with this neuropterous in¬ 
sect is intensely interesting. It is possessed of 
a charm all its own, and can claim many ardent 
devotees. 
Casting with the stone-fly calls for much 
scientific manipulation, and, although many good 
fishermen are prone to look upon its use as 
little short of illegitimate, on account of its 
wonderful killing powers, the majority of Wal- 
tonians hail it as a valuable ally, to be highly 
appreciated. 
Upon the swift, clear streams of the North, 
says Arthur Sharp, in the Anglers’ News, Lon¬ 
don, the stone-fly is often to be met with in 
abundance. To a certain extent they take the 
place of that other paradoxical insect of the 
Southern counties, the green-drake; and, indeed, 
often afford far better sport than that famous 
killer. 
Stone-flies are usually found on gravel beds, 
under loose stones, and among the pebbles by 
the edges of rough streams. They are quite 
easily caught, and the angler should possess a 
box or case to put them in. The writer uses 
a horn, perforated with small holes, with an 
aperture at one end just large enough to allow 
one fly only to come out at a time. Some fish¬ 
ing tackle makers manufacture a special contriv¬ 
ance for these elusive insects. Mr. Cummins 
supplies one made of zinc. This is a most 
effective receptacle. It is made to strap round 
the waist. Both ends are perforated, thereby 
enabling the angler to see at a glance the num¬ 
ber of flies it contains. An ingenious arrange¬ 
ment allows the angler to obtain a bait with¬ 
out any delay. 
The stone-fly is readily distinguished. Its 
body is elongated, narrow and flattened slightly. 
The hind wings are broader than the fore wings, 
and are folded at the inner edge. The abdomen 
generally terminates in two longish bristles 
( setce ). 
The tackle used should be fine, the line 
tapered, and the rod moderately stiff. An ordi¬ 
nary fly-rod will answer the purpose for that 
matter. Some anglers use the two-hook tackle 
(which is certainly more effective), while others 
advocate a single hook with a small piece of 
hog’s bristle to hold the fly on. The two-hook 
tackle, however, holds the bait far better to our 
thinking, and is more quickly baited. The hooks 
should be mounted on best, fine drawn gut. 
Care is necessary in impaling the fly. upon 
the tackle. A crushed or badly-mauled fly is 
worse than useless as a bait. The trout, albeit 
somewhat over-bold and reckless, are very dis¬ 
criminating, and look with suspicion upon a 
bruised insect. To bait the stone-fly, take it 
in the left hand between thumb and fore-finger. 
The point of the bottom hook is inserted in the 
throat, and the barb brought out toward the 
tail. The top hook is then thrust upward 
through the neck. A little practice will enable 
the angler to do this neatly and tenderly with¬ 
out damaging the body overmuch. Many ang¬ 
lers swear by the female fly, which is rather 
larger than the male. Experience, however, 
shows that the male fly is quite as good a bait, 
when trout are feeding. 
In stone-fly fishing the bait should be cast 
up stream, wherever possible. For one thing, 
the angler can approach the fish better and have 
a shorter line. Then it is far easier to hook 
a trout when up stream fishing. If, however, a 
strong wind is blowing down stream, then by all 
means cast with the wind, using a longer line. 
To cast against a heavy wind is little short of 
folly, for the fly is almost certain to be “flicked” 
off. Bright, warm days and fairly clear water 
are essential if the angler is to make a good 
basket. 
The fly should be worked into all the likely 
places. The edges of rough streams, the long, 
rippling shallows over the silver gravel, the 
eddies under the shadow of the fern-clad bank, 
the stickles, and all other promising spots should 
be tried. Be sure the red-spotted fellows will 
respond readily if approached in a right and 
proper manner. 
Angling with the stone-fly is both exciting 
and pleasant. It comes in at a time (mid-May 
to mid-June) when to be out by the water side 
is an incomparable pleasure. The beauties of 
tangled woodland, bright green meadow and 
sparkling river are manifest to the most un¬ 
observant of anglers. Summer has "unlocked 
the flowers” and painted the landscape with her 
beautifying brush. It is a joy to be testing each 
pool and shallow, for the trout are now in the 
very pink of condition. The stone-fly, too, will 
succeed in enticing many a splendid trout—fish 
that would disdain to look at the angler’s lure 
at any other time; for even the veterans of the 
darkening pools cannot resist a dainty morsel 
of a stone-fly in the glad days of May. 
Stone-fly fishing is best followed during the 
bright hours of the forenoon. After the sun 
has gone down, trout cease taking this insect. 
Even in very low water the careful angler can 
creel a few fish, if he observe that important 
canon of the trout fisher’s art—to keep well out 
of sight of the “speckled ones” and fish fine. 
Therefore, let the angler who is luckily 
placed keep a keen lookout for the coming of 
the stone-fly; and may it fill his creel to over¬ 
flowing with bonnie, “crimson-dappled” trout. 
NOTICE 
The index for Volume LXXX 
(January-June, 1913) is now ready 
for delivery. Copies may be had by 
addressing a post card to Circulation 
Manager. 
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