chap, v.] THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 301 



we shall have occasion to speak every month in the 

 year) you are first to hold your hook fast betwixt 

 the fore-finger and thumb of your left hand, with 

 the back of the shank upwards, and the point to- 

 wards your finger's ends : Then take a strong small 

 silk of the colour of the fly you intend to make, wax 

 it well with wax of the same colour too : to which 

 end you are always, by the way, to have wax of 

 all colours about you ; and draw it betwixt your 

 finger and thumb, to the head of the shank, and 

 then whip it twice or thrice about the bare hook, 

 which you must know is done, both to prevent 

 slipping, and also that the shank of the hook may 

 not cut the hairs of your towght, which some- 

 times it will otherwise do. Which being done, 

 take your line and draw it likewise betwixt your 

 finger and thumb, holding the hook so fast, as only 

 to suffer it to pass by, until you have the knot of 

 your towght almost to the middle of the shank of 

 your hook, on the inside of it ; then whip your silk 

 twice or thrice about both hook and line, as hard 

 as the strength of the silk will permit. Which be- 

 ing done, strip the feather for the wings proporti- 

 onable to the bigness of your fly, placing that side 

 downwards which grew uppermost before, upon 

 the back of the hook, leaving so much only as to 

 serve for the length of the wing 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 towght. 



