24 HOW TO TIE SALMON FLIES. 



with soap. Having selected the feathers, strip off 

 all the downy fluff that will not be wanted for the 

 fly. Many tie them up in bunches : it is a matter 

 of choice, though. Place the feathers or fur in a 

 basin ; then cut up, and put into it a piece of 

 yellow soap, about the size of a nut for a quart 

 of water. Pour boiling water into the basin, and 

 stir well with a glass rod until all the soap has dis- 

 solved. After a few minutes the feathers or fur 

 can be taken out and placed in clean cold water, 

 and well washed in it. Common washing soda 

 can be used instead of soap, but a very little of 

 it will suffice ; if you use too much the feathers 

 will be burnt. 



Another way is to use carbonate of potash ; 

 about a teaspoonful to a quart of water is quite 

 enough ; but the feathers or fur in this case 

 should be left in for at least twelve hours, and 

 afterwards washed in clean cold water. 



Another way is to use alum, about one ounce 

 to a quart of water ; the feathers or fur should 

 be left in for some hours. This is a good fixing 

 bath. 



The next process is to place the feathers or 

 fur in a fixing bath ; alum dissolved in boiling 

 water is as good as any, about one ounce to a 

 quart of water. Of course this process will be un- 

 necessary if you adopt the last-mentioned method 

 of cleaning the feathers and fur. A quarter of 

 an hour will suffice, when the feathers or fur 



