fishing, such as are given by Mr. Thomas Barker, a gentleman that hath spent much time in fishing: but I shall do it with a little variation.

First, let your rod be light, and very gentle: I take the best to be of two picces. And let not your line

NOTE.] 5 A notice of Barker will be found in the Memoir of Walton. The following extract occurs in his "Art of Angling :"

"My Lord sent to me, at sun-going-down, to provide him a good dish of Trouts against the next morning, by six o'clock. I went to the door to see how the wanes of the air were like to prove. I returned answer, that I doubted not, God willing, but to be provided at the time appointed. I went presently to the river, and it proved very dark I threw out a line of three silks and three hairs twisted, for the uppermost part; and a line of two hairs and two silks twisted, for the lower part-with a good large hook. I baited my hook with two lob-worms, the four ends hanging as meet as I could guess them in the dark. I fell to angle. It proved very dark, so that I had good sport; angling with the lob-worms as I do with the flies, on the top of the water: You shall hear the fish rise at the top of the water; then, you must loose a slack line down to the bottom, as nigh as you can guess; then hold your line straight, feeling the fish bite; give time, there is no doubt of losing the fish, for there is not one amongst twenty but doth gorge the bait: the least stroke you can strike fastens the hook, and makes the fish sure, letting the fish take a turn or two; you may take him up with your hands. The night began to alter and grow somewhat lighter; I took off the lob-worms, and set to my rod a white palmer-fly made of a large hook; I had good sport for the time, until it grew lighter; so I took off the white palmer, and set to a red palmer, made of a large hook; I had good sport until it grew very light; then I took off the red palmer, and set to a black palmer; I had good sport, and made up the dish of fish. So I put up my tackles, and was with my lord at his time appointed for the service.

"These three flies, with the help of the lob-worms, serve to angle all the year for the night; observing the times-as I have shewed you-in this night-work; the white-fly for darkness, the red fly in medio, and the black fly for lightness. This is the true experience for angling in the night; which is the surest angling of all, and killeth the greatest Trouts. Your lines may be strong, but must not be longer than your

rod."

Upon this passage, Mr. Daniel observes: "Night fishing with a fly is best from May to the end of August; but the largest fish are caught in the latter month. Trout will take in the dark nights of any of the subsequent months, provided they be soft and calm."

Field Sports, II. 290.

exceed, especially for three or four links next to the hook, I say, not exceed three or four hairs at the most; though you may fish a little stronger above, in the upper part of your line: but if you can attain to angle with one hair, you shall have more rises, and catch more fish. Now you must be sure not to cumber yourself with too long a line, as most do. And before you begin to angle, cast to have the wind on your back; and the sun, if it shines, to be before you; and to fish down the stream; and carry the point or top of your rod downward, by which means the shadow of yourself, and rod too, will be the least offensive to the fish; for the sight of any shade amazes the fish, and spoils your sport, of which you must take great care.

In the middle of March; till which time a man should not in honesty catch a Trout; or in April, if the weather be dark, or a little windy or cloudy; the best fishing is with the palmer-worm, of which I last spoke to you; but of these there be divers kinds, or at least of divers colours : these and the May-fly are the ground of all fly-angling : which are to be thus made:

First, you must arm your hook with the line, in the inside of it: then take your scissors, and cut so much of a brown mallard's feather as, in your own reason, will make the wings of it, you having, withal, regard to the bigness or littleness of your hook; then lay the outmost part of your feather next to your hook; then the point of your feather next the shank of your hook, and, having so done, whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk with which your hook was armed; and having made the silk fast, take the hackle of a cock or capon's neck, or a plover's top, which is usually better: take off the one side of the feather, and then take the hackle, silk or crewel, gold or silver thread; make these fast at the bent of the hook, that is to say, below your arming; then you must take the hackle, the silver or gold thread, and work it up to the wings, shifting or still removing your finger

as you turn the silk about the hook, and still looking, at every stop or turn, that your gold, or what materials soever you make your fly of, do lie right and neatly; and if you find they do so, then when you have made the head, make all fast: and then work your hackle up to the

head, and make that fast and then, with a needle, or pin, divide the wing into two; and then, with the arming silk, whip it about cross-ways betwixt the wings: and then with your thumb you must turn the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook; and then work three or four times about the shank of the hook; and then view the proportion; and if all be neat, and to your liking, fasten.

I confess, no direction can be given to make a man of a dull capacity able to make a fly well: and yet I know this, with a little practice, will help an ingenious angler in a good degree. But to see a fly made by an artist in that kind,* is the best teaching to make it. And, then, an ingenious angler may walk by the river, and mark what flies fall on the water that day; and catch one of them, if he sees the Trouts leap at a fly of that kind: and then having always hooks ready-hung with him, and having a bag also always with him, with bear's hair, or the hair of a brown or sad-coloured heifer, hackles of a cock or capon, several coloured silk and crewel to make the body of the fly, the feathers of a drake's head, black or brown sheep's wool, or hog's wool, or hair, thread of gold and of silver; silk of several colours, especially sad-coloured, to make the fly's head: and there be also other coloured feathers, both of little birds and of speckled fowl: I say,

VARIATION.] by another.- 1st Edit.

6

NOTE.] The Author not having particularly enumerated the Materials necessary for Fly-making, it will not be improper to do it here. For Dubbing, you must be provided with bear's hair of divers colours; as grey, dun, light and dark coloured, bright brown and that which shines; also camel's hair, dark, light, and of a colour between both: badger's hair, or fur: spaniel's hair from behind the ear, light and

having those with him in a 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 as none can well teach him.

NOTE continued.]

dark brown, blackish, and black: hog's down, plucked from under the throat, and other soft places, and of these colours, black, red, whitish, and sandy; other colours you may get dyed at a dyer's: seal's fur is to be had at the trunk-maker's; get this also dyed of the colours of cow's and calf's hair, in all the different shades, from light to the darkest brown; you will then never need cow's or calf's hair, both which are harsh, and will never work kindly, nor lie handsomely: get also mohairs, black, blue, purple, white, violet, yellow, and orange: camlets, both hair and worsted, blue, yellow, dun, light and dark brown, red, violet, purple, black, horse-flesh, pink, and orange colours. Some recommend the hair of abortive colts and calves; but seal's fur, dyed as above, is much better.

Turkey carpet will furnish excellent dubbing: untwist the yarn, and pick out the wool, separating the different colours.

Some use for dubbing, barge-sail; but these sails are made of sheep's wool, which soaks in the water, and soon becomes very heavy: however, get of this as many different shades as you can: and have seal's fur and hog-wool dyed to match them; which, being more turgid, stiff, and light, are, in most cases, to be preferred to worsted, crewels, and other kinds of wool; hog-wool is best for large, and seal's fur for small flies.

Get also furs of the squirrel, particularly from his tail; fox-cub, from the tail where it is downy and of an ash-colour; an old fox; an old otter; otter-cub; badger; fulimart, or filmert; from the neck of a hare where it is of the colour of withered fern; and, above all, the yellow fur of the martern, from off the gills or spots under the jaws. These, and almost every other kind of fur, are got at the farrier's.

Hackles, the long slender feathers on the neck and near the tail of a cock, are very useful in fly-making; be careful that they are not too rank, which they are when the fibres are more than half an inch long; be provided with these of the following colours, red, dun, yellowish, white, orange, and black; and whenever you meet with a cock of the game breed, whose hackles are of a strong brown-red, never fail to procure some but observe, that the feathers of a cock chicken, and of the

7 The use of a Bag is attended with many inconveniences; to prevent which, the Angler is recommended either to make a parchment book, according to the directions given in Daniel's Rural Sports, vol. ii. p. 295, or to procure a similar one at a fishing tackle

maker's.

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 enNOTE continued.]

Bantam cock are too downy and weak to stand erect after they are

once wet.

Feathers are absolutely necessary for the wings and other parts of flies get therefore feathers from the wild mallard, or drake; from the partridge, especially those red ones in the tail; from a cock-pheasant's breast and tail; from the wings of a blackbird, a brown hen, a starling, a jay, a land-rail, a throstle, a field-fare, and a water-coot; from the crown of the pewit, plover or lap-wing; green and copper-coloured peacock's, and black ostrich, herle; also 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; shoemaker's wax; a large needle to raise your dubbing, when flatted with working; and a small, but sharp pair of scissors.

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 fine furs and most other kinds of dubbing do; remember also, that martern's fur is the best yellow you can use.

On the subject of flies, it is only necessary to add, in addition to what Walton has said, that colour is more attractive than form, and that an ill made fly of a right colour is often more killing than the neatest of a colour not frequently seen on the water. In clear rivers small flies will be found best, but if the river be discoloured, or the weather cloudy, they may be used larger. The flies should be made on the finest gut, and the hooks not too large and heavy. Hackles of different colours, the bodies of each varied in tint, are perhaps best, for a hackle always falls light on the water, and does not create suspicion.

"He who attends to the catalogue of flies published in most fishing books, will find himself perplexed and confounded; and will frequently see a homely fisherman with a hazel wand, and an extra fly or two in reserve twisted round the band of his hat, filling his hamper, whilst he, so fastidious in his choice, is selecting from his book of ready-made London flies, one for the month, nay, even the hour of the day!! A man may as well attempt to learn the Chinese characters and language, as fish by books enthralled and entangled with a multiplicity of flies. I am much mistaken if he does not soon find from experience, that these flies are like quack medicines-made to sell."-Sporting Mag. Oct. 1823.