WHITTERISH. Body, the root end of the white part of a hare's scut, light grey foal's hair, or camel's hair, towards the tail, the dark part of a hare's scut with some brown hairs mixed; peacock's herl for the head; warp with white silk. Wing, the feather of a sea-mew. LIGHT GREY. Body, fur of the inner part of a rabbit's leg, the lightest of the dark part of a hare's scut; warp with ash-coloured silk. Wings, light grey mallard's feather. JULY. The Peacock hackle, Black herl, Pewet's topping, and Red herl of May and June, and the Whitterish and Light grey of the last month, serve also for this. And to those add the BROWN. Body, hair of a very light brown, or reddish calf or spaniel, and light bear's hair, mixed; warp with pale orange. Wing, the feather of a land-rail. AUGUST. The Peacock hackle, and the three following flies of May and the two subsequent months, and the Brown of the last month, serve also for this: in which also are taken the GREY FLY. Body, light grey foal's hair mixed with the dark part of a hare's scut; warp with grey silk. Wing, a hen-pheasant's feather. BLACK ANT-FLY. Body, darkest part of a hare's scut, and dark brown wool, or sheep's russet, equally mixed, and one single ruddy herl of a peacock, all twisted together; warp with copper-coloured silk. Wing, a field fare's feather. BROWN ANT-FLY. Body, bright brown bear's hair, much weather-beaten. Almost of an orange-colour towards the tail; and, therefore, a few hairs of a light brown, or flame-coloured calf or spaniel's hair, to be added in the tail part; warp with orange-coloured-silk. Wing, the light feather of a fieldfare or starling. NOTE. The Black and the Brown And Fly I have studied to imitate with other materials, (and have found them succeed very well,) made as follows: Black Ant. Brown bear's hair, and a little grey squirrel's hair next the roots, peacock herl; warp with coppercolour or ash. Brown Ant. Light barge-sail, seal's fur and brown bear's hair, peacock herl; warp with orange. Wings of this and the former, starling's feather; longer than the body. No. IV. (Referred to from Part II. page 320, u,) FEBRUARY. PRIME DUN. Dubbing, of the down of a fox-cub, warped with sad ash-coloured silk. Wings, of the feather got from the quill of a 'shepstare's wing. This fly is made little: but there is another, made of the same dubbing, larger by far. MARCH. The same flies as are taken in February will be taken in March; and also those hereafter mentioned. MOORISH BROWN. Dubbing, of the wool of a black sheep warped with red silk. Wings, of the feather got from a partridge wing. PALM FLY. Dubbing, of the hair of a brown spaniel, got on the outside of the ear, and a little sea-green wool mixed; warped with brown cloth-coloured silk. Wings, of a shepstare's quill-feather. GREEN-TAIL. Dubbing, of the brown hair of a spaniel, got on the outside of the ear; but a little, in the end of the tail, must be all of sea-green wool, without mixture. Wings, as the last. APRIL. BRIGHT BEAR. Dubbing, of bright bear's hair warped with sad cloth-coloured silk. Wings, of a shepstare's quill feather. Others dub the body with yellow silk, which is better. YELLOW DUN. Dubbing, of yellow wool, and ashcoloured fox-cub down mixed together; dubbed with yellow silk. Wings, of the feather of a shepstare's quill. Others dub it with dun bear's hair, and the yellow fur got from a martern's skin, mixed together, and with yellow silk. Wings, of a shepstare's quill feather. Make two other flies, their bodies dubbed as the last; but in the one mingle sanded hog's bown, and in the other black hog's down. Wings, of a shepstare's quill feather. And there is also taken an excellent fly, made of dun bear's hair, yellow martern's fur, sanded hog's down, and (1) The reader is to note, that shepstare, stare, and starling, are words synonymous: vid. Minsheu's Dict. voce Stare. black hog's down, all mixed in an equal proportion together; warped with yellow silk. Wings, of the feather of a shepstare's quill. These several flies, mentioned for April, are very good, and will be taken all the Spring and Summer. MAY. THORN FLY. Dubbing, of black lamb's wool; warped with black silk. Wings, of a mallard's light grey feather. NOTE. That in all instances where mallard's feathers are directed to be used for wings, they must be those of the wild, and not the tame mallard. KNOP FLY. Dubbing, of the down of an otter-cub and the herl of a peacock; warped with black silk. Wings, of the light grey feather of a mallard. FERN-BUD. This fly is got on fern, and the natural one is very good to dib with. It has a short thick body, of a very sad greenish colour, and two pairs of wings; the uppermost are hard, and sometimes taken off, but the undermost diaphonous. And it is dubbed with the herl of a peacock, and very sad green silk. Wings, of the feather of a fieldfare's quill got out of the wing. LITTLE DUN. Dubbing, of an otter's fur; warped with ash-coloured silk. Wings, of a shepstare's quillfeather. YELLOW MAY-FLY. Dubbing, of yellow wool, mixed with yellow fur of a martern; warped with yellow silk. Wings, of the lightest-coloured feather of a throstle. JUNE. BLACK MIDGE, or GNAT. Dubbing, of the down of a mole; warped with black silk. Wings, of a light grey shepstare's quill-feather. GREY MIDGE, or GNAT. Dubbing, of the down of a sad grey cat, or sad grey camel's hair; warped with grey silk. Wings, of the grey feather of a mallard. PURPLE FLY. Dubbing, of purple wool, and a little bear's hair mixed, sometimes no bear's hair at all. Wings, of a shepstare's quill feather. Warped with purple silk. SAND FLY. Dubbing, of the wool gotten off the flank of a black sheep; warped with black silk. Wings, of the sad-coloured feather of a throstle-quill. Others make the body of the feather of a heron's neck. MACKERIL. Dubbing, of light brown camel's hair warped with black silk. Wings, of a red cock's feather. JULY. BLUE DUN. Dubbing, of the down of a water-mouse, and the bluish dun of an old fox, mixed together; warped with sad ash-coloured silk. Wings, of a shepstare's quill feather. AUGUST. BUSS BROWN. Dubbing, of the light brown hair of a cur. The head, black. Wings, of the feather of a red hen. Warped with orange-coloured silk. HEARTH FLY. Dubbing, of the wool of an old black sheep; with some grey hairs in it for the body and head. Wings, of a light shepstare's quill-feather; warped-on with black silk. PISMIRE FLY. Dubbing, of bright brown bear's hair; warped with red silk. Wings, of the saddest-coloured shepstare's quill-feather. A good fly. LITTLE BLUE DUN. Dubbing, of for body and head; warped with Wings, of a sad-coloured shep SEPTEMBER. the down of a mouse, sad ash-coloured silk. stare's quill feather. No. V. (Referred to from Part II. page 335, n.) TEN YEARS, ONE MONTH, AND FIVE DAYS' ANGLING. FISH taken in the counties of Carmarthen and Glamorgan, commencing 11th April, 1753, to the 10th April, 1754, inclu sive Ditto in the counties of Pembroke, Carmarthen, 1757 Fish taken in the county of Glamorgan 1758 Ditto in the counties of Glamorgan, Brecon, Radnor, and Hereford 6272 3758 1764 Ditto in the county of Carmarthen, to 23d July, being my last day's angling in the principality The whole given to the public 1814 47120 The rich, the poor, the sick, and the healthy, have tasted of the labour of my hands. In the first nine months in the year 1751, I took in the counties of Pembroke and Carmarthen above a thousand trouts and though I have taken trouts in every month in the year since, yet I could not, in any one year, reach that number. Perhaps I have done it before 1751; but I did not then keep an account all the year round, only noted those days in which I had diversion more than common. N. B. There were some pike and chub, eel and flounder taken, which are not noted in the above account.1 No. VI. Additional RULES and CAUTIONS. I. WHEN you have hooked a fish, never suffer him to run out with the line; but keep your rod bent, and as near perpendicular as you can: by this method the top plies to every pull he makes, and you prevent the straining of your line, for the same reason. II. Never raise a large fish out of the water by taking the hair to which your hook is fastened, or indeed any part of the line, into your hand; but either put a landingnet under him, or, for want of that, your hat: you may indeed, in fly-fishing, lay hold of your line to draw a fish to you, but this must be done with caution. III. Your silk for whipping hooks and other fine work (1) If I had the honour of an acquaintance with this keen and laborious Sportsman, I might possibly at times have checked him in the ardour of his pur suit, by reminding him of that excellent maxim, “ Ne quid nimis," i. e. Nothing too much. The pleasure of angling consists not so much in the number of fish we catch, as in the exercise of our art, the gratification of our hopes, and the reward of our skill and ingenuity; were it possible for an angler to be sure of every cast of his fly, so that for six hours together his hook should never come home without a fish at it, angling would be no more a recreation than the sawing of stone, or the pumping of water. |