bag, and trying to make a fly, though he miss at first, yet shall he at last hit it better, even to such a perfection

therefore feathers from the back and other parts of the wild mallard, or drake; the feathers of a partridge, especially those red ones that are in the tail; feathers from a cock pheasant's breast and tail; the wings of a blackbird, a brown hen, of a starling, a jay, a land-rail, a throstle, a fieldfare, and a water-coot; the feathers from the crown of the pewit, plover, or lap-wing; green and coppercoloured peacock's, and black ostrich, herle; feathers from a heron's neck and wings. And remember, that, in most instances, where the drake's or wild mallard's feather is hereafter [in the text] directed, that from a starling's wing will do much better, as being of a finer grain, and less spungy.

Be provided with marking-silk of all colours; fine, but very strong, flaw-silk; gold and silver flatted wire, or twist; a sharp knife; hooks of all sizes; hog's bristles for loops to your flies; shoe-maker's wax; a large needle to raise your dubbing, when flatted with working; and a small, but sharp pair of scissars.

And lastly, if any materials required in the subsequent Lists of Flies may have been omitted in the foregoing Catalogue, be careful to add them to your former stock, as often as you shall find any such omissions.

Remember, with all your dubbing to mix bear's hair and hog's wool, which are stiff, and not apt to imbibe the water, as the fine furs and most other kind of dubbing do; and remember also, that martern's fur is the best yellow you

can use.

(1) The use of a Bag is attended with many inconveniences; of which, the mixing and wasting your materials are not the least; to prevent which, the following method is recommended. Take a piece of fine-grained parchment, of seven inches by nine, and fold it so that the size and proportion of it will be that of a small octavo volume; then open it, and through the first leaf, with a sharp penknife and a ruler, make three cross cuts, at the same proportionable distance, and with a needle and silk stitch the two leaves together: let each of the margins be half an inch at least.

Then, with a pair of compasses, take the distance from A to B, and set it on in the middle of a small piece of parchment; and likewise set on the same distance to the right and left; and at each extremity cut off, with a penknife and ruler, the spare parchment, observing that the sides are exactly parallel.

At about a quarter of an inch from the top, make a cut through the first and third divisions, and with a pair of scissars snip out the loose pieces.

Be careful that the cuts, and indeed all your work, are exactly square; and when this is done, turn in the sides and ends of the parchment, so cut as before; and press the folds with a folding-stick; and you have one pocket, which put into the first partition.

Pursue the same method with the small pockets, and those for the other partitions; and in this manner proceed till you have completed six leaves, which are to make the first of your book. The larger of these pockets are to hold hog's wool, seal's fur, and bear's hair; and the smaller, the finer furs, which are those of the martern, fox-cub, &c.

In each of the six divisions, in every leaf, with a sadler's hollow punch, make a hole to which end, take a thin narrow stick of beech, or any hardish wood; and when the pocket is in its place, put the stick down into the pocket, and, observing the centre of the division, give the punch a smart blow with a mallet these holes will shew what is contained in each of the pockets.

The next leaf may be single; stitch it across with double silk diagonally, and cross those stitches with others, and the spaces will be of a lozenge-shape; let the stitches be half an inch in length: into these you are to tuck your dubbing, when mixed ready for use.

as none can well teach him. And if he hit to make his fly right, and have the luck to hit, also, where there is store of Trouts, a dark day, and a right wind, he will catch such store of them, as will encourage him to grow more and more in love with the art of fly-making.

Ven. But, my loving master, if any wind will not serve, then I wish I were in Lapland, to buy a good wind of one of the honest witches, that sell so many winds there, and so cheap.

Pisc. Marry, scholar, but I would not be there, nor indeed from under this tree: for look how it begins to rain, and by the clouds, if I mistake not, we shall presently have a smoking shower; and therefore sit close; this sycamore-tree will shelter us: and I will tell you, as they

The next leaf should be double, stitched with a margin as the others; and through the first fold cut a lozenge, as big as the size will allow of; into this you may tuck three or four wings of small birds, as the starling, the land-rail, the throstle, &c. At the back of this leaf, sew two little parchment straps, of half an inch wide, very strong; through which put a small, but very neat and sharp pair of scissars.

You may, on another single leaf, make four or five cross-bars of long stitches; through which, as well on the back as the fore-side, you may put large feathers, namely, those of a cock-pheasant's tail, a ruddy brown hen, &c.

The next three leaves should be double; stitch them through the middle, from side to side; and with the compasses describe a circle of about an inch and a half diameter: cut out the parchment within the circle. Under some of the margins, when the leaves are stitched together, you may tuck peacock's and ostrich herle; and in others lay neatly the golden feathers of a pheasant's breast, and the grey and dyed yellow mail of a mallard.

Three double leaves more, with only two large pockets in each, may be allotted for silk of various colours, gold and silver twist, and other odd things. The other leaves you may fill with land-rail's and other small feathers, plovers' tops, and red and black hackles.

The first and last leaves of your book may be double, stitched in the middle from side to side, but open at the edges; which will leave you four pockets like those of a common pocket-book; into which you may put hooks, and a small piece of wax, wrapped in a bit of glove-leather.

To the page that contains the mixed dubbings, there should be an Index, referring to every division contained in it, and expressing what fly each mixture is for.

When your book is thus prepared, send it to the binder with directions to bind it as strong as possible; let him leave a flap to one of the boards, and fasten to it a yard of ribbon to tie it.

The usefulness and manifold conveniences of a book are apparent; and who. ever will be at the pains of making such a one as this, will find it greatly pre ferable to a magazine-bag.

H

shall come into my mind, more observations of fly-fishing for a Trout.

But first for the WIND: you are to take notice that of the winds the south wind is said to be the best. One observes, that

-when the wind is south,

It blows your bait into a fish's mouth.

Next to that, the west wind is believed to be the best: and having told you that the east wind is the worst, I need not tell you which wind is the best in the third degree and yet, (as Solomon observes,) that "he that considers the wind shall never sow;" so he that busies his head too much about them, if the weather be not made extreme cold by an east wind, shall be a little superstitious for as it is observed by some, that "there is no good horse of a bad colour;" so I have observed, that if it be a cloudy day, and not extreme cold, let the wind sit in what corner it will and do its worst, I heed it not. And yet take this for a rule, that I would willingly fish, standing on the lee-shore: and you are to take notice, that the fish lies or swims nearer the bottom, and in deeper water, in Winter than in Summer; and also nearer the bottom in any cold day, and then gets nearest the lee-side of the water.

But I promised to tell you more of the Fly-fishing for a Trout; which I may have time enough to do, for you see it rains May butter. First for a MAY-FLY: you may make his body with greenish coloured crewel, or willowish colour; darkening it in most places with waxed silk; or ribbed with black hair; or, some of them, ribbed with silver thread; and such wings, for the colour, as you see the fly to have at that season, nay, at that very day on the water. Or you may make the OAK-FLY: with an orange, tawny, and black ground; and the brown of a

mallard's feather for the wings.' And you are to know, that these two are most excellent flies, that is, the Mayfly and the Oak-fly.

And let me again tell you, that you keep as far from the water as you can possibly, whether you fish with a fly or worm; and fish down the stream. And when you fish with a fly, if it be possible, let no part of your line touch the water, but your fly only; and be still moving your fly upon the water, or casting it into the water, you yourself being also always moving down the stream.

Mr. Barker commends several sorts of the palmer-flies; not only those ribbed with silver and gold, but others that have their bodies all made of black; or some with red, and a red hackle. You may also make the HAW THORN-FLY: which is all black, and not big but very small, the smaller the better. Or the oak-fly,*

See the pre

the body of which is orange colour and black ceding page. crewel, with a brown wing. Or a fly made with a peacock's feather is excellent in a bright day:3 you must. be sure you want not in your magazine-bag the peacock's

(1) Some dub the Oak-fly, with black wool, and Isabella-coloured mohair, and bright brownish bear's hair, warped on with yellow silk, but the head of an ashcolour; others dub it with an orange, tawny, and black ground; others with blackish wool and gold-twist; the wings of the brown of a mallard's feather. Bowlker, in his Art of Angling, p. 63, says, “The body may be made of a bittern's feather, and the wings of the feather of a woodcock's wing."

(2) This is impossible, unless you dib with the artificial as with the natural fly, which is never practised. The method of throwing or casting is more par ticularly treated of, in the notes on Chap. V. Part II.

(3) A brother of the angle must always be sped
With three black palmers, and also two red;
And all made with hackles. In a cloudy day,
Or in windy weather, angle you may:

But morning and evening, if the day be bright:
And the chief point of all is to keep out of sight.
"In the month of May, none but the May-fly,
"For every month, one," is a pitiful lye.

The black Hawthorn-fly must be very small;

And the sandy hog's hair is, sure, best of all

(For the mallard-wing May-fly, and peacock's train,

Will look like the flesh-fly,) to kill Trout amain.

feather; and grounds of such wool and crewel as will make the grasshopper. And note, that usually the smallest flies are the best; and note also, that the light fly does usually make most sport in a dark day, and the darkest and least fly in a bright or clear day: and lastly note, that you are to repair upon any occasion to your magazine-bag; and upon any occasion, vary and make them lighter or sadder, according to your fancy, or the day.

And now I shall tell you, that the fishing with a NATURAL-FLY is excellent, and affords much pleasure. They may be found thus: the May-fly, usually in and about that month, near to the river side, especially against rain: the Oak-fly, on the butt or body of an oak or ash, from the beginning of May to the end of August; it is a brownish fly and easy to be found, and stands usually with his head downward, that is to say, towards the root of the tree: the small black-fly, or Hawthorn-fly,

* Compare this with what is said at the end of Walton's Preface.

The Oak-fly is good, if it have a brown wing.
So is the grasshopper, that in July doth sing:

With a green body make him, on a middle-siz'd hook,
But when you have catcht fish, then play the good cook.

Once more, my good brother, I'll speak in thy ear:
Hog's, red cow's, and bear's wool, to float best appear :
And so doth your fur, if rightly it fall :

But ulways remember, Make two, and make all.*

A specimen of Mr. Barker's poetry!

(1) The Oak-fly is known also by the names of the Ash-fly and the Woodcock. fly; and in Shropshire it is called the cannon or Downhill-fly. Bowlker, in his Art of Angling, page 63, says: "This fly, as I have lately been informed by a gentleman of veracity, is bred in those little balls which grow on the boughs of large oaks, commonly called oak-apples; which he accidentally discovered, by opening several of these balls which had been gathered in the winter, and brought into the house; in each of which was found the capnou-fly, some of which being enlivened by the warmth of the room immediately took flight, and fixed in the window with the head downwards, the position they observe on the trees." This discovery, by which the formation of galls is accounted for, as well as the substances above-mentioned, was made long ago by the sagacious Malpighi, who had with great diligence attended to the operations of insects in the act of depositing their eggs; and in his treatise De Gallis, he describes the hollow instrument wherewith many flies are provided, with which they perforate the tegument of leaves, fruits, or buds, and through the hollow of it inject their eggs into the wounds which they have made, where, in process of time, they hatch