270 THE ANGLER S GUIDE. 



strong silk, of the colour of the fly you intend to 

 make, wax it well, with wax of the same colour, (you | 

 should have wax of all colours with you,) and draw it ' 

 betwixt your finger and thumb to the head of the 

 shank, and whip it twice or thrice about the bare 

 hook, which is done both to preveiU slipping, and also 

 to prevent the shank of the hook cutting the fibres of )| 

 your hair or gut, which, sometimes, it otherwise will 

 do 3 then take your line and draw it betwixt your fin- 

 ger and thumb, holding the hook so as only to suffer 

 it to pass by, until you have the knot of your hair or 

 gut almost to the middle of the shank of the hook on 

 the inside ; then whip your silk twice or thrice about 

 both hook and line, as hard as the strength of the silk 

 will permit, which being done, strip the feathers, for 

 the wings, of a proportionable bigness for the size of 

 the fly, placing that side downwards^ which grew up- ' 

 permost before, upon the back of the hook, leaving so 

 much as only to serve for the length of the wings of 

 the point of the plume, lying reversed from the end of 

 the shank upwards : then whip your silk twice or 

 thrice about the root end of the feather, hook, and 

 hair or gut ; which being done, clip off the root end of 

 the feather, close by the arming 3 and then whip the 

 silk firmly round the hook, and hair or gut, until you 

 come to the bend of the hook, but no further 3 which 

 being done, cut away the hair or gut, and fasten it, 

 and take off the dubbing, which is to make the body 

 of your fly as much as you think proper 3 and holding' 

 it lightly with the hook, betwixt the finger and thumb 



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