CHAPTER VIII.

VIATOR.

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 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 every where, 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.

This stone-fly, then, we dape or dibble with, as with the drake, but with this difference, that whereas the green-drake 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 mid-time 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 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 ostrich-feather, ribbed with silver twist, 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-and-twentieth, the greendrake and stone-fly are taken, as I told you before.

1. From the twelfth to the four-and-twentieth, late at night, is taken a fly, called the OWL-FLY; the dubbing of a white weasel's tail, and a white-gray wing.

2. We have then another dun, called the BARMFLY, 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.

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.

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

11. As also a GREEN GRASSHOPPER; 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 GRASSHOPPER; the body slender, made of a dun camlet, and a dun hackle at the top.

JULY.

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 body made of the whirl of a peacock's feather, and a black hackle-feather on the top.

5. We have also another, made of a peacock's whirl without wings.

6. Another fly also is taken this month, called the SHELL-FLY; the dubbing of vellow-green Jersey-wool