THE LINE. 77 



better adapted than a hair line, if its extreme 

 fine end be rejected, and the tapering, for a yard 

 or so, before joining the collar, be continued with 

 a substitution of twisted gut, forming what is 

 called a "point," or "bottom." This "point" 

 may be twisted with quills, in the same way that 

 school-boys make horse-hair lines. It should be 

 spun in three twists, that is, one strand or thread 

 of gut in each quill, and taper downwards from 

 stout to the very finest gut, so that at its place of 

 junction with the collar it be not thicker than the 

 coarsest end of the latter. These strands must 

 be united, in twisting, by means of a very fine, 

 neat knot, tied as hereafter directed, and the 

 length of the strands must be so arranged that 

 the different knots lie at some distance from each 

 other. Kemember, we are not speaking of twist- 

 ing different series of triple gut, independently 

 of each other, and then knotting them together 

 afterwards like an old-fashioned knotted line, but 

 of knotting the separate strands together during 

 the process of twisting, so that, in one sense, the 

 whole point may appear one entire piece. If 

 properly made, the knots will be so minute that 

 they will not only be no detriment to the lightest 

 casting, but will also run glibly through the rod 

 rings while being wound up with the line upon 



