109 



with two loops, or invisible knots, just where 

 the bend begins, or opposite to the barbed point 

 of your hook. 



It is necessary to remark here, that the chief 

 operations performed in fly-dressing are very 

 much facilitated, by allowing the nails of the 

 thumbs and fore-fingers to grow long. They 

 will then preclude the necessity of using a 

 pliars. During the different operations your 

 silk should be frequently waxed, and the easiest 

 way to do so is, to take the extreme point of 

 the silk between your teeth, the other part being 

 round the hook held in your left-hand, and 

 with the wax in your right-hand, rub the silk 

 sharply up and down three or four times. At 

 the end of this chapter we shall give a recipe 

 and^.itf^ an unique one of the only sort of 

 wax|p*Gper for making flies. 



RULE 2. How to make a Palmer-fly, or 

 Hackle, with a Body : Though hackles and 

 palmer-flies are by many considered one and 

 the same, we have made, in order to simplify 

 our rules, a distinction between them. The 

 distinction is merely artificial. We will sup- 

 pose you about to dress the red-palmer. The 

 first operation, namely, that of whipping your 

 silk round the hook, and afterwards round your 

 hook and gut, is to be performed according to 



