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variety of the most beautiful pea green colour imaginable; but the black body is by far the most frequently met with, and therefore the fly with this colour is usually fished with.

BODY.

IMITATION.

Mole fur, ribbed over with black ostrich, when spun on black silk.

WINGS AND LEGS. Made buzz with a dun hackle, the tint a shade or two lighter than that of the natural wings. Hook, No. 4, long.

When this fly is made with wings and legs not buzz, the dun feather of the wing of the mallard is used, and a grizzled hackle for legs, upon the same body.

REMARKS. The use of a smaller "Spring Black" than the above is recommended in preference. BODY. Black ostrich herl.

WING AND LEGS. Purplish breast feather of a cock starling, wound on as a hackle. Hook, No. 1, long.

The larger black flies are seldom observed so early in the season. But a black fly of one sort or another is seldom useless on your lash.

No. 6. COW-DUNG FLY.

This fly is to be seen throughout the year. It is very abundant about the middle of March, when vast quantities are seen upon the water if there be a high wind. The colour of the male, when newly hatched, is a very bright tawny yellow, that of the female a greenish brown; she is rather smaller than the male, is found in as great numbers on the water, and is as good a fly to imitate. This insect is not in full season after the end of April, but in very blustering days may be used all the year round. It is a fly that varies much in size, the early specimens being mostly small.

IMITATION.

BODY. Yellow worsted, mohair, or camlet, mixed with a little dingy brown fur from the bear, and left rough, spun upon light brown silk. WINGS. From the landrail.

LEGS. Of a ginger-coloured hackle.

The female is made buzz thus:

BODY. Olive-coloured mohair, or worsted, spun on silk of the same colour.

WINGS AND LEGS. Of a red cock's hackle, changed to a brown colour by putting it into a Hook, No. 3, short.

solution of copperas.

No. 7. PEACOCK FLY.

This fly represents a small beetle, extremely abundant on warm sunny days. Its usual habit on alighting is to gather up the wings under its short wing scales (a habit like that of the earwig, which flies about in autumn); but when it falls upon water, it cannot always succeed in doing so; then, therefore, the wings lie nearly flat upon its back. However fine the day may be, and however clear the water, some sport may still be expected with this fly, until the end of May, but it is most successfully used on a sultry gloomy day.

IMITATION.

BODY. Ruddy brown peacock's herl, dressed with mulberry-coloured silk.

WINGS. The darkest part of a wing feather of the starling.

LEGS. A hackle stained dark purple; appearing black when looked down upon; but when held up to the light, having a most beautiful dark tortoiseshell hue. (See Dyes, Chap. II. article 5.) Hook, No. 1 or 2, short.

REMARKS. The Buzz form of this fly is a great Grayling killer, in spring and autumn, and is much prized on the Derwent, near Rowsley.

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