should be smooth and clean. Take a right and left 

 wing. Get a centre feather from each wing; strip off 

 the fag end, and with the right finger and thumb divide 

 as broad a piece as you wish one side of the wing to be. 

 Draw the tips carefully down, till quite even, without 

 separating the fibres ; at the same time holding the quill 

 and roots firm with the left finger and thumb, easing 

 them occasionally to let the wing lay even and smooth, 

 coaxing the fibres gently together. (Practice alone will 

 accomplish this satisfactorily.) This being done, with 

 the left finger and thumb hold the quill and roots of the , 

 wing firm, while with the right finger and thumb press 

 very tight, keeping the wing flat, and with a sharp twitch 

 separate the wing from the quill, taking care not to slack 

 your hold or disarrange the fibres. Lay it carefully down 

 on the work table, the outside part of feather uppermost. 

 In precisely the same manner take a wing from the other 

 feather exactly the same size as the one just taken off. 

 When done, place it carefully on the inside of forefinger 

 of left hand, the inside of feather uppermost, and the 

 roots of wing pointing to tip of finger. Pick up the 

 other half of wing (which I do by moistening the tip of 

 my forefinger of right hand), and put it to the other half 

 of wing. Lay the tips very evenly together, and (inside 

 of feathers facing) press them together, keeping them 

 flat, and, without altering their position, place them on 

 the top of the bare hook. For length, they should reach 

 to the bend of the hook, but no longer. Take the tying 

 silk in the right hand, open the left finger and thumb 

 slightly at the tips, to allow the silk to pass up and 



