The Tying Of The Flies

All in all, a blue feather interpretation is very subjective and seems to be tinged with wishful thinking from the fly tier's point of view. A blue-headed fly is not the most satisfying creation for a purist to contemplate. But a blue-headed fly is not much more startling than a yellow stripe down the side of a body, yellow under wing or tail, or wings tied on with brown hemp.

NO. 7 DUN CUT (June)

Berners: "The donne cutte: the body of blacke wull & a yelow lyste after eyther syde: the wynges of the bosarde bounde on with barkyd hempe."

The yellow stripe down the side and wings wrapped with barked hemp are, doubtless, clues to the identity of this fly. The bodies of many insects give the impression of being divided by a lighter line in the distribution of the back and belly color patterns.

"Wings of the buzzard" we take to mean sections of flight feathers. These are specified in both Mascall and Markham as wings of the wings of the buzzard.

"Barked hemp" is a rope cord steeped in a dye made of the bark of certain trees (for the preservative action).

Hills thinks the Dun Cut is a May fly, the Yellow Dun; Skues "beyond question" the sedge fly or Welshman's Button of Halford.

NO. 8 MAURE FLY (June)

Berners: "The maure fly. the body of dolke wull the wynges of the blackest mayle of the wylde drake."

"Dolke" does not appear in the great Oxford; Duggan thinks this could be a misprint for "doske." Dusky is the interpretation evident or implied in Mascall and Markham.