MATERIALS FOR FLY-MAKING. 99 



is technically called dubbing. It should not be 

 very soft and sappy, so as to imbibe the water 

 too readily, nor so stiff and coarse as to render 

 its winding on a difficulty although almost the 

 coarsest hair is, by proper preparation, available 

 in the hands of an experienced artist. This pre- 

 paration, which indeed is almost always neces- 

 sary, consists of breaking the fur or hair into 

 minute pieces, and must be particularly attended 

 to when furs of different colours are required to 

 be mixed together. Of these, a small portion of 

 each must be taken between the forefinger and 

 thumb of one hand, and, with the forefinger and 

 thumb of the other hand, be repeatedly broken 

 up together till thoroughly incorporated with 

 each other into a uniform mass. The furrier's 

 shop presents the means of procuring a supply of 

 much of this useful material, of which, indeed, a 

 great assortment is only necessary to the fly-maker 

 by trade. As indispensable may be enumerated 

 the brown fur which one's wife or sister's boa 

 will perhaps readily furnish, albeit at the expense 

 of a scolding if detected at the pilfer ; mole and 

 water-rat's fur, which are valuable, and fortu- 

 nately obtainable without the risk alluded to in 

 the case of the boa ; a lighter blue fur than these 

 last, which is found at the roots of the squirrel 

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