HOOKS. 13 



of the bait and flight. The chief objects to be aimed at 

 in this hook are durability and neatness combined with 

 ease in shifting when required, and complete fixedness 

 or immobility at other times. The three last desiderata 

 were all ver>^ fairly fulfilled by the old-fashioned lip- 

 hook, composed of gimp loops whipped on to an ordi- 

 nary lip-hook. The construction of this 

 lip-hook is shown below (figure 2). The 

 two little loops are formed by doubling a 

 piece of fine wire or gimp (figure i), and 

 laying it on the upper side of the shank of 

 the hook, and then lapping over all except the two ends. 

 When complete, the end of the gimp or gut to which 

 the flight is tied should be passed upwards through the 

 lower loop, then twisted two or three times round the 

 shank of the hook, and again passed upwards through 

 the upper loop and drawn tight. 



To shift the position of the lip-hook higher or 

 lower, it is only necess^^ry to loosen the coils round 

 the hook by pushing the gimp upwards or down- 

 wards through the loops and then tightening from the 

 other end. 



In the other essential of durability, however, it was 

 less satisfactory, and consequently various plans have 

 been tried for some years to remedy this deficiency by 

 making lip-hooks entirely of steel, one or both of the 

 loops being brazed to the shank. Hitherto, however, 

 these have been practical failures, as owing to the slip- 



