ON MATERIALS. 



29 



tips and light dun roots. The web of soft fibre 

 is not, in this case, cut from the quill, but the 

 tips of the feathers are used intact. 



Light stone blue wings are supplied by the 

 wing and tail feathers of the coot. I may here 

 remark that there is often a great difference in 

 the shades of the inner and outer sides of feathers. 

 For instance, of the coot's feathers just mentioned 

 it is the inner side that is of a light stone blue, 

 the outer side being of a medium dun in young 

 birds, and of a medium to dark iron blue in 

 older specimens. 



For light stone blue wings I believe that the 



Lesser wing Greater Secon- Tertiaries. Primaries, 



coverts. wing coverts. daries. 



FIG. 11. 



feathers of the sea gull and sea swallows are also 

 used ; but those of the coot are not very scarce, 

 are easy to work with, and make a very beautiful 

 wing, which dries readily. The feathers of some 

 of the common tame blue pigeons resemble those 

 of the coot as to colour. 



Snipe wings are extremely useful. They are of 

 a cold medium dun colour on the outer, and a 

 light dun shade on the inner side. They are, 

 perhaps, the best feathers with which to imitate 

 the duns appearing in early spring. 



The starling is the bird beloved of fly dressers 

 "the fly dresser's darling," one is tempted to 



