ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR AND EDWARD WILSON
London: LAWRENCE AND BULLEN, Ltd.
16 henrietta street, covent garden
mdcccxcviii
Richard Clay and Sons, Limited,
london and bungay.
PREFACE
In the first part of this little work I do not wish my reader to suppose that I claim to be the first who has dealt with any particular imitation in the manner he will find that I have dealt with it. In the case of particular flies, others have frequently observed that the imitations generally used were inaccurate. The imitation of the Alder-fly has perhaps been most treated in this way, but it is not alone. One instance, however, of inaccuracies in imitations of natural flies having been observed, will I hope not be trespassing too much upon my reader’s patience.
Blaine, in his Encyclopædia of Rural Sports published in 1840, says when speaking of the Cow-dung fly:—“By some extraordinary mistake Bowlker describes this fly as having upright wings; and as many of the London fly-makers dress their flies by his directions, we need not wonder that they are often bought with their wings unnaturally glaring outwards.”
What I have tried to do, is to work out and bring down to a definite rule the position in which the wings of the imitations of the various kinds of flies should be placed.
My reader therefore must not hope in this first part to meet with many imitations of creatures that have not been imitated before; but if he finds that the manner in which the flies are dealt with as a whole is any step forward, be it ever so small, I shall be satisfied in having attained the object at which I aim.