HACKLES, JOINTED BODIES, AND GRUBS, 65 



thumb of the left hand down on to the feather, 

 against the grain of the fibres. With large 

 feathers there is no need to use the pliers, as 

 the butt can be held in the first joint of the 

 middle or third finger, and the point can be held 

 between the forefinger and thumb of the right 

 hand. If you want to double such feathers as 



Fig. 42. 



the tippet feathers of the golden pheasant, wet 

 them first. The fibres bend more readily then. 

 How to strip hackles. Some feathers used as 

 hackles have a very thick rib or stem, which, if 

 wound on, would not only stand out, but would 

 spoil the play of the fly ; so this rib must be got 

 rid of. The barred feather from the wing of the 

 English jay is the best example. You can either 

 strip off the quill from the point, downwards, or 

 cut it off. I prefer the latter way, as, unless the 

 feathers are pretty fresh, nine times out of ten 

 you lose half the fibres with the first method, as 

 the stem near the point is so thin. The follow- 

 ing is the best way to cut it off. After stripping 



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