196 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXXII. 



Excepting amongst anglers, the extent of the 

 trade of fly-making is little known. The number 

 of hands employed, men, women, and even child- 

 ren, whose small fingers are the best adapted for 

 imitating the delicate wings of the midge or ant, 

 and the variety of materials used, would astonish 

 the uninitiated. If any person will examine the 

 wings and body of a single Irish salmon-fly, he 

 will perceive how many substances are used, and 

 how many birds from every quarter of the globe 

 are laid under contribution to form this tiny but 

 powerfully attractive bait, which, were it less 

 carefully and skilfully constructed, would never 

 entice the wary salmon out of his resting-place 

 under some stone or rock, where, like a gourmand 

 in the snug corner of his club-room, he patiently 

 but anxiously awaits the arrival of some delicate 

 morsel. 



