Fishing from the earliest times - Blog

::AND MATERIALS FOR DRESSING IT 189In the Bihl. Pise." Round the hook they twist scarlet wool, and two wingsare secured on this wool from the feathers which grow underthe wattles of a cock, brought up to the proper colour withwax."In Lambert" They fasten red wool round a hook and fit on the wooltwo feathers which grow under a cock's wattles, and which incolour are like wax."It is asserted in the Bibl. Pise, that the whole passage istherein " for the first time, accurately, translated," but thisproud boast must take a back seat, for Mr. Lambert translateswith far nearer accuracy. One grave error springs frommistranslation in the former of TrpoaeiKaa/xha as " broughtup to," instead of " hke," a meaning very common in Greekwriters of the second and third century.But, apart from the question which of the two be thebetter rendering, no doubt whatever can exist which of theflies described would be found the better, if not the only,killer. Application of wax to the hackles of a cock wouldcertainly cause the fibre to stick together, entirely destroytheir free play in the water, and render them useless as wings.This passage, ever since its rediscovery by Oliver in 1834,has been acclaimed by most writers on Fishing as (A) beingthe first instance in literature, or for that matter in art, of theArtificial Fly, and as (B) ascribing to the Macedonians thecredit of a " new invention " in Angling.It is undoubtedly the first and only express mention of aspecially made-up Artificial Fly down to 500 a.d., and probablyeven down to Dame Juliana's Book (c. 1500). But I suggestand believe that this passage is intended, not as a descriptionof a " new invention," or of a striking departure from oldmethods o± Angling. It merely instances the Macedonian'sadaptability to his environment, and his imitative skill indressing from his wools and feathers a fly to resemble as closelyas possible the natural fly on which the fish were feeding, apractice very common among anglers of the present day.So far from the Artificial Fly being a " new invention," it