256 FLIES AND KNOTS. 
at the bend be firm, and when the material is carried 
back, the body is finished with a couple of turns of the 
silk, a hackle is then introduced under them and firmly 
ly secured. Wind the hackle round the hook at the 
place where it is inserted, and when it is sufficiently 
thick, and the fibres which constitute the legs stand out 
well, tie it down. Prej^are your wings by stripping oft' 
the requisite number of fibres, and tie them on, either 
single or divided, and finish oft". To make a buzz-fly, 
that is, one with the hackles the whole length of the 
body instead of only at the shoulder, insert a hackle at 
the bend at the same time with the body and tail, and 
twist it round the body after that is put on, and fasten it 
at the shoulder. The wings are sometimes laid on point- 
ing up the shank, and afterward bent down and brought 
in their places. And thus, if any one desires, he may 
make a fly. 
Few people in this stage of civilization dress their own 
trout flies, and although skill in the art will enable you 
to make a better selection in your purchases, it is rarely 
useful at the riverside. The better plan is to have a great 
variety, keep them safe from moths by the use of a linen 
bag, and fish often enough to prevent the gut's decaying. 
I have flies that have been in my possession for fifteen 
years, and yet seem to be as good as ever. You would 
require a knapsack to keep all the articles requisite to 
dress every fly, and would waste half your day in the 
operation, l^or is it yet settled that by imitating the 
natural insect you gain any advantage ; one half the most 
skillful fishermen assert that the fly, as for instance, the 
scarlet ibis, need resemble nothing on earth, or in the 
