68 SALMON FLIES 



are necessary. It is far more satisfactory to 

 buy these in skins, which will cost you any- 

 thing from 6s. (if you are very lucky) to 20s. 

 per skin. Above all, see to it that they are 

 brilliant ; faded toppings and tippets are worse 

 than useless. The toppings should sparkle 

 like champagne when held up to the light, and 

 tippets should be almost red in colour, with the 

 dark bars nearly black by contrast. 



For the wings of certain patterns of a large 

 size the bright red sword feathers of the Golden 

 Pheasant are used.* 



Other necessary feathers (for " cheeks " and 

 " sides ") supplied in skins are the bright 

 orange breast feathers of the Indian Crow, the 

 golden yellow ones from the breast and throat 

 of the Toucan, the beautiful blue feathers 

 from practically the entire skin of the Blue 

 Chatterer (these should be of the pale electric 

 blue shade, not the deep sky-blue, which is 

 much less brilliant), the greenish-blue feathers 

 from the back of the Indian Kingfisher (these 

 are sometimes used as substitutes for Blue 



* Sometimes the neck feathers (tippets) and crest 

 feathers (toppings) of this invaluable bird are used as 

 hackles. 



