64 THE CASTING-LINE. 



to it about three or four drops of sulphuric 

 acid (no more, or you will destroy the gut), and 

 while boiling, or nearly so, dip the gut in and out 

 of it, say every two minutes, till the colour is 

 sufficiently extracted. 



Herb. I must confess to you that I do not feel 

 satisfied in favour of dyeing at all. Plain glass, 

 which plain gut resembles, being colourless, is 

 always less visible than stained ; and so must 

 gut be. 



Theoph. The advocates for plain gut would be 

 quite right, if they could get over the fact that by 

 soaking, it loses its transparency, and becomes 

 white, and thus, of all things, most glaring. Gut, 

 neutrally tinted, may likewise become opaque, but 

 then it is less observable and more soft to the vision. 

 I have paid some attention to dyeing feathers and 

 dubbings, the benefit of which you shall have 

 some other time, for we must "rig out" the 

 casting-line aforesaid. 



Now for the silk; 'tis "fine glovers' silk," the 

 best you can use for all purposes of whipping 

 flies, &c. &c. Give me fawn or straw colour. 

 The next best sort is white "wig-makers'," very 

 fine and strong, but more harsh, and not so easily 

 waxed. I buy all that I use at Pearsall's, in Cheap- 

 side, the general resort for fishermen " Amateurs," 

 and " professional" fly or tackle-makers. There 

 is some nicety required in the procuration even of 



