178 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PARTI- 



I confess, no direction can be given to make a man 

 of a dull capacity able to make a fly well : and yet I 

 know, this, with a little practice^ will help an in- 

 genious angler in a good degree. But to see a fly 

 made by an artist in that kind, is the best teaching to 

 make it. And, then, an ingenious angler may walk 

 by the river, and mark what flies fall on the water that 

 day ; and catch one oflhem, if he sees the Trouts leap 

 at a fly of thafrkind and then (having always hooks 

 ready hung with him) r and having a bag also always 

 Tvith him ; with bear's hair, or the hair of a brown or 

 sad-coloured heifer ; hackles of a cock or capon ; 

 several coloured silk and crewel ; to make the body 

 of the fly ; the feathers of a drake's head ; black or 

 brown sheep's wool, or hog's wool, or hair ; thread of 

 gold and of silver ; silk of several colours, especially 

 sad-coloured; to make the fly's head-, and there be 

 also other coloured feathers, both of little birds and 

 of speckled fowl* : I say, having those with him in a 



* The Author not having particularly enumerated the Materials ne- 

 cessary for fly-making, it will not be improper, once for all, to do it 

 here. And, first, [for Dubbing :] you must be provided with bear's hair 

 of divers colours : as grey, dun, light and dark coloured, bright brown 

 and that which shines : also camel's hair, dark, light, and of a colour be- 

 tween both : badger's hair, or fur : spaniel's hair from behind the ear, 

 light and dark brown, blackish and black : hog's down, which may be 

 had, about Christmas, of bu tellers, or rather of those that make brawn, 

 it should be plucked from, under the throat, and other soft places of the 

 hog, and must be of the following colours, viz. black, red, whitish, and 

 sandy, and for other colours, you may get them dyed at a dyer's : seal's 

 fur, is to be had at the trunk-makers, get this also dyed of the colours 

 of cow's and calf's hair, in all the different shades, from the light to the 

 darkest brown; you will then never need cow's or calf's hair, both 

 which are harsh, and will never work kindly, nor lie handsomely; Get 

 also mohairs, black , blue; purple; white; violet; Isabella, which colour 

 is described in a note on Cotton's Flies for March ; Philomot y from feuille 

 morte , a dead leaf ; yellow; and orange : Camlets, both hair and worsted, 

 blue, yellow, dun, light and dark brown, red, violet, purple, black, horse- 

 flesh, pink, and orange colours. Some recommend the hair of abortive 

 colts and calves; but seal's fur, dyed as above, is much better. 



A piece of an old Turkey carpet will furnish excellent dubbing; un- 

 twist the yarn, and pick out the wool, carefully separating the different 

 colours, and lay it by. 



Some use for dubbing, barge-sail : concerning which, the reader is to 

 know, that the sails of West country and other barges, when old, are 

 usually converted into tilts, under which there is almost a continual 

 smoak arising from the fire and the steam of the beef-kettle which all such 



