THE YOUNG ANGLES. 275 



continue winding on the silk until you reach the end of the hook, 

 when you must form the head of the fly by turning the silk back 

 and winding it several times round. Next twist the dubbing on 

 the silk, and wind it on the hook for nearly half the intended 

 length of your fly, and fasten it off; when you have wound enough 

 of the feather upon the hook, you should hold the remainder under 

 your left thumb, and with a needle pick out the twisted and en- 

 tangled fibres ; continue twisting the silk and dubbing over the end 

 of the hackle until you make the body of the fly the proper length, 

 and then fasten off. 



In making a winged fly, fasten the hook on the gut in the 

 manner above described, take the feather intended for the wings 

 and place it on the upper side of the shank with the roots turned 

 towards the bend of the hook, and fasten the feather securely down 

 by twisting the silk over it; clip the root ends close with your 

 scissors, and with a needle divide the wings as evenly as possible, 

 passing the silk two or three times between them, so as to make 

 them take their proper position. Carry your silk towards the bend 

 of the hook to about the length which you intend your fly to be, 

 and fasten it there, lay on your dubbing, and then continue 

 winding the silk up towards the wings ; put the hackle in for the 

 legs, and wind it so nicely under the wings, that the ends of the 

 cut fibres may be quite hidden, and then fasten the silk off above 

 the wings. When gold or silver twist is used, it should be fastened 

 to the lower end of the body before the dubbing is put on. The fly at 

 the end of the line is usually termed "the stretcher," and the others 

 "droppers." The first dropper should be put on the line about a 

 yard above the stretcher, and the second about three quarters of 

 a yard from the first; they should be made on separate pieces of 

 gut about four inches in length, for the purpose of being taken off 

 at will. 



ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 



There being upwards of a hundred different kinds of flies suitable 

 to this species of angling, a full description of the method of making 

 each would far exceed our limits ; we shall, therefore, only describe 

 a few of the commonest, for a complete work on 

 artificial fly- making would of itself make a large 

 volume, and such a work may be had written by 

 Mr. Blakey, who is said to be one of the best fly- 

 makers in Great Britain. The cow-dung fly may 

 be used from the first of April, and will kill till 

 September. Its wings should be made of a feather 

 of the land- rail, its body of yellow camlet mingled 

 with a little fur from the brown bear, and its legs of a ginger hackle ; 

 its wings should be trimmed flat. The blue dun is an excellent fly 

 during March and April, and should be used in the middle of the 

 day. Make its wings of a starling's feather, body of blue fur from 

 a water-rat, mixed with a little yellow- coloured mohair, and its tail, 

 which is forked, of two fibres from the feather which you use for the 



