FISHING AT THE TOP, CONTINUED-FLIES FOR THE END OF MAY, AND FOR THE FOLLOWING, MONTHS, TILL DECEMBER; CONTAINING, UNDER MAY, INSTRUCTIONS WHEN TO DAPE WITH THE STONE-FLY.

Viat. So, sir, I am now ready for another, lesson, so soon as you please to give it me.

Pisc. And I, sir, as ready to give you the best I can. Having told you the time of the Stone-fly's coming in, and that he is bred of a cadis in the very river where he is taken, I am next to tell you, that,

13. This same Stone-fly has not the patience to continue in his crust, or husk, till his wings be full grown; but.so soon as ever they begin to put out, that he feels himself strong (at which time we call him a Jack) squeezes himself out of prison, and crawls to the top of some stone; where, if he can find a chink that will receive him, or can creep betwixt two stones, the one lying hollow upon the other (which, by the way, we also lay so purposely to find them) he there lurks till his wings be full grown, and there is your only place to find him; and from thence doubtless he derives his name:-though, for want of such convenience, he will make shift with the hollow of a bank, or any other 2 See Pt. I. Ch. XVII. p. 285.

place where the wind cannot come to fetch him off. His body is long, and pretty thick, and as broad at the tail, almost, as in the middle; his colour a very fine brown, ribbed with yellow, and much yellower on the belly than the back: he has two or three whisks also at the tag of his tail, and two little horns upon his head: his wings, when full grown, are double, and flat down his back, of the same colour but rather darker than his body, and longer than it ; though he makes but little use of them, for you shall rarely see him flying, though often swimming and paddling, with several feet he has under his belly, upon the water, without stirring a wing. But the drake will mount steeple-high into the air; though he is to be found upon flags and grass too, and, indeed, everywhere high and low near the river; there being so many of them in their season, as, were they not a very inoffensive insect, would look like a plague and these drakes (since I forgot to tell you before, I will tell you here) are taken by the fish to that incredible degree, that, upon a calm day, you shall see the still-deeps continually all over circles by the fishes rising, who will gorge themselves with those flies, till they purge again out of their gills; and the trouts are at that time so lusty and strong, that one of eight or ten inches long will then more struggle and tug, and more endanger your tackle, than one twice as big in winter: but pardon this digression.

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This stone-fly, then, we dape or dibble with, as with the drake, but with this difference; that whereas the greendrake is common both to stream and still, and to all hours of the day, we seldom dape with this but in the streams, for in a whistling wind a made-fly in the deep is better-and rarely but early and late, it not being so proper for the midtime of the day; though a great grayling will then take it very well in a sharp stream, and here and there a trout too, but much better towards eight, nine, ten, or eleven, of the clock at night, at which time also the best fish rise, and the later the better, provided you can see your fly; and when you cannot, a made-fly will murder, which is to be made thus: the dubbing of bear's dun with a little brown and yellow camlet very well mixed; but so placed, that your fly may

1 I have caught a trout so full of them, that in taking him off the hook I have pressed, out of his throat, a lump of them as big as a walnut.-H.

be more yellow on the belly and towards the tail underneath, than in any other part; and you are to place two or three hairs of a black cat's beard on the top of the hook, in your arming, so as to be turned up, when you warp on your dubbing, and to stand almost upright, and staring one from another: and note that your fly is to be ribbed with yellow silk; and the wings long, and very large, of the dark gray feather of a mallard.

14. The next May-fly is the Black-fly; made with a black body, of the whirl of an ostridge-feather, ribbed with silvertwist, and the black hackle of a cock, over all; and is a killing fly, but not to be named with either of the other.

15. The last May-fly, that is of the four pretenders, is the little yellow May-fly; in shape exactly the same with the green-drake, but a very little one, and of as bright a yellow as can be seen; which is made of a bright yellow camlet, and the wings of a white-gray feather dyed yellow.

16. The last fly for this month, and which continues all June; though it comes in in the middle of May, is the fly called the Camlet-fly; in shape like a moth, with fine diapered, or water-wings, and with which, as I told you before, I sometimes used to dibble; and grayling will rise mightily at it. But the artificial-fly, which is only in use amongst our anglers, is made of a dark-brown shining camlet, ribbed over with a very small light-green silk, the wings of the double-gray feather of a mallard; and 'tis a killing fly for small fish. And so much for May.

JUNE.

From the first to the four-andtwentieth, the green-drake and stonefly are taken, as I told you before.

1. From the twelfth to the fourand-twentieth, late at night, is taken a fly, called the Owl-fly,' the dubbing of a white weasel's tail, and a whitegray-wing.

1 WHITE MILLER OR OWL-FLY.-The body of white ostrich herl, white hackle, and silver twist, if you please; wing,

2. We have then another dun, called the Barm-fly, from its yeasty colour; the dubbing of the fur of a yellow-dun cat, and a gray wing of a mallard's feather.

3. We have also a Hackle with a purple body, whipped about with a red capon's feather.

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4. As also a Gold-twist Hackle with a purple body, whipped about with a red capon's feather.

5. To these we have, this month, a Flesh-fly; the dubbing of a black spaniel's fur, and blue wool mixed, and a gray wing.

6. Also another Little Flesh-fly; the body made of the whirl of a peacock's feather, and the wings of the gray feather of a drake.

7. We have then the Peacock-fly; the body and wing both made of the feather of that bird.

8. There is also the flying-ant, or Ant-fly,' the dubbing of brown and red camlet mixed, with a light gray wing.

9. We have likewise a Brown Gnat; with a very slender body of brown and violet camlet well mixed, and a light gray wing.

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10. And another little Black Gnat; the dubbing of black mohair, and a white-gray wing.

11. As also a Green Grashopper; the dubbing of green and yellow wool mixed, ribbed over with green silk, and a red capon's feather over all.

12. And lastly, a little Dun Grashopper; the body slender, made of a dun camlet, and a dun hackle at the top.3

of the white feather of a tame duck. Taken from sunset till ten at night, and from two to four in the morning.-H. The white or pale-coloured moths, such as the ghost-moth (Hepialus humuli), are called owl-flies by anglers. They will be taken at night during June, July, and August. -RENNIE.

1 The ant-fly, which is the male or female ant, has four wings; but the artificial fly, so called, has only two-so much for imitation.-RENNIE.

2 BLACK GNAT.-The body extremely small, of black mohair, spaniel's fur, or ostrich feather; wing, of the lightest part of a starling or mallard's feather. A very killing fly in an evening, after a shower, in rapid rivers, as in Derbyshire or Wales.-H.

The Great Red Spinner (Pyrochroa) is a well-known and very killing fly this month, and may be used as an evening fly throughout the summer. It may be made either larger or smaller. The large sort has the body

First, all the small flies that were taken in June, are also taken in this month.

1. We have then the Orange-fly; the dubbing of orange wool, and the wing of a black feather.

2. Also a little White Dun; the body made of white mohair, and the wings blue, of a heron's feather.

3. We have likewise this month a Wasp-fly; made either of a dark brown dubbing, or else the fur of a black cat's tail, ribbed about with yellow silk, and the wing of the gray feather of a mallard.

4. Another fly taken this month is a Black Hackle; the

dubbed with seal's fur, dyed red, mixed with brown bear's hair, whipped with gold twist; the wings,

from a starling's feather; the hackle, from a red gamecock. The hook, No. 7. The small sort has the body dubbed with yellow fur from a spaniel's ear, whipped with gold twist; the wings and hackle, as in the large sort. The hooks No. 8 and 9 are used.-RENNIE.

Great red-spinner.
Artificial.

1 ORANGE-FLY.-The body of raw orange silk, with a red or black hackle; gold twist may be added; warp with orange. Taken when the May-fly is almost over, and also to the end of June, especially in hot gloomy weather.-H.