4 PBACTIOAL FLY-FISHEB. 



furnishes a beautiful herl, suitable for the body of 

 many flies and palmers. 



Hackles of all sizes, from half an inch to two 

 inches long, and of all colours, (black, red, red and 

 black, or furnace duns of various kinds,) should be 

 procured for making legs to winged flies. Sooty or 

 grizzled hackles may be found natural, but some 

 colours, as yellow, green, blue, brown, purple, must 

 be dyed ; of which more anon. 



The hackles for legs should be very small, but 

 it is advisable to procure a few very large of each 

 colour, as the strands or fibre make excellent tails. 



Gold and silver twist, or tinsel, is indispensable 

 for making the brilliant bodies of some flies and 

 palmers. 



The most tenacious wax is that made by the 

 cobbler ; but when new, and too thickly laid on, it has 

 the effect of rendering nearly all silk of one colour. 



To make colourless wax, take three parts of white 

 resin, and one of mutton suet, or tallow previously 

 clarified by melting ; dissolve them in a pipkin over a 

 slow fire, let them simmer ten minutes, stirring in a 

 few drops of essence of lemon or bergamot : pour the 

 whole into a basin of clear cold water, work the wax 

 through the fingers, rolling up and drawing out till it 

 acquires sufficient toughness and consistency: it 

 cannot be worked too much, or kept too long. When 



