ON HOOKS. 19 



the same in the second experiment if the wood 

 were sufficiently hard and smooth. 



HOLDING POWER. 



Whether a hook that has once penetrated will 

 hold or no is chiefly a matter of whether the 

 resistance of the flesh is great enough to prevent 

 the hook's tearing out. This, again, depends on 

 the amount of tearing-out force which is least 

 with a hook of quick penetration the area and 

 flatness of the upper surface of the wire, and the 

 depth to which the point has penetrated. 



It is obvious that, provided a hook penetrate 

 at all, the greater its angle of penetration, the 

 deeper will be the hold which it will take. So 

 that, within certain limits, it is true that the 

 better a hook's penetrating qualities the weaker 

 will be its holding power. Figs. 2 and 3, in 

 which the directions of penetration are marked, 

 will illustrate this important fact.* It is also 

 plain that there should be sufficient wire directly 

 behind the barb to afford a hold of sufficient 

 depth, whatever be the direction of pene- 

 tration. 



Concerning the barb itself, I think that a very 

 prominent one is quite unnecessary. A few 

 experiments will soon convince anyone that a 

 very small increase of prominence will necessitate 

 a very considerable increase of force to make the 

 hook penetrate as far as before, so that in fly- 

 fishing for trout with small hooks a very pro- 

 minent barb would often defeat its own ends. 

 When the point is driven properly home, the 

 barb is not likely to be called upon, and where a 



* It will be clear from the diagrams in this article that 

 the smaller the inclination of the line of pull to the surface 

 of the flesh to he penetrated, the more effective in every 

 way will be the " strike." Hence, at the moment of 

 striking- the rod point should be as low as is convenient. 



