90 MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER. 



It was also necessary in some way to dress the silk 

 with a waterproof coating to obviate the loss of colour 

 to which flies tied with undressed body-silk are subject. 

 The yellows particularly lose in this manner. After 

 a good many experiments I hit upon a colourless wax, 

 which fulfils both these conditions, and is moreover more 

 convenient to manipulate than the ordinary cobbler's 

 wax, which in cold weather becomes brittle and " chippy.'* 

 A receipt for the colourless wax is appended : — j 



Receipt for Coloicrless Wax. — Burgundy pitch, 120 grains 

 (J of an oz.) ; white resin, 60 grains ; tallow, 20 grains. 

 Having reduced the resin and pitch to a mixed powder 

 and placed them in some clean receptacle (an egg-cup | 

 will be found very convenient), put them into an oven, 

 and when quite melted add the tallow, stirring the whole 

 thoroughly up together for several minutes. The wax, 

 which when cold will be quite hard, will be ready for use 

 in about twelve hours. The above quantities will make 

 a lump of wax as large as a walnut. 



The wax should be kept perfectly free from dust and 

 dirt, and in using it for dressing the yellow flies, it is 

 very desirable that the fingers of the tyer should also be 

 quite clean. 



For the body-silk of the brown fly the colourless wax 

 over brown silk does not answer entirely, as the tint 

 given by the brown silk is rather dead and " unfly-like." 

 I find, however, that by waxing very dark orange silk 

 with ordinary cobbler's wax an excellent rich colour is 

 obtained. The silk whilst fresh waxed should be drawn 



