12 HOW TO TIE SALMON FLIES. 



pings should be kept in boxes, lying on their 

 sides, or they will soon lose their shape. 



The blue and yellow, scarlet, and blue and 

 red Macaw s tail feathers are the best for making 

 the 'horns' of salmon flies with. The former 

 (Ara ararauna] is a native of Guiana. Its tail 

 feathers are blue ; the whole of the breast, 

 flanks, and throat are brilliant yellow ; useful for 

 hackles and wings. The back is covered with 

 blue feathers, good as hackles. On the wings are 

 darker blue feathers, used whole for wings. 



The scarlet, and blue and red macaws are 

 much alike in general colouring. They are 

 natives of Guiana and the West Indies. The tail 

 of the * scarlet ' is red ; that of the ' blue and red' 

 is dark red. The heads and breasts of both are 

 red, these feathers being very good as hackles. 

 Along the back are light blue feathers ; those 

 from the blue and red being lighter in colour, 

 and called 'powdered blue' feathers. Strands of 

 the larger feathers that grow over the tail are 

 frequently used in wings. On the back of the 

 scarlet macaw are orange feathers ; these are 

 occasionally used whole in wings. With the ex- 

 ception of the tail feathers of the blue and yellow, 

 and of the scarlet macaw, and the powdered blue 

 feathers from the blue and red, none of the above- 

 mentioned feathers are actually necessary ; skins 

 of these birds are expensive, but natural hackles, 

 on the other hand, are, I think, far superior to 

 dyed ones. 



