HOW TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 259 



very much at Watford, in Herts, called Harding' s-fly, 

 or the Coachman's , the merits of such flies expe- 

 rience will teach how to appreciate. — Note : make it 

 an invariable rule to try a red or black palmer, first 

 in the morning and last in the evening, when whipping 

 for Trout j the other part of the day, winged flies. 

 This is following nature, as Fish seek for food 

 by instinct, expecting winged insects in the day time, 

 and the palmer or caterpillar in the cool and damp of 

 the mornings and evenings. 



Concise Directions for making an Artificial Fly. 

 Take some fine silk, of the proper colour, and 

 wax it well with bees' wax ; then hold the bend of 

 the hook between the fore-finger and thumb of the 

 left hand, and with the right give the silk two or 

 three turns round the shank, and fasten it j then take 

 a small feather, of the colour you intend the fly 

 should be, strip off some of the fibres towards the 

 quill, and leave a sufficient quantity for the wings, 

 holding the point of the feather between your finger 

 and thumb 5 turn back most of the remaining fibres, 

 and laying the point end of the feather upon the 

 hook, give a few more laps round it with your silk, 

 and fasten ; then twirl the feather round the hook 

 tiU all the fibres are wrapped upon it 3 which done, 

 fasten and cut off the two ends of the feather 5 then, 

 with dubbing of the proper colour twisted round the 

 remaining silk, warp from the wings towards the 

 bend of the hook, till the fly is the size required. 



