408 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART It, 



you and draw it betwixt your finger and thumb, to 

 the head of the shank ; and then whip it twice, or 

 thrice about the bare hook, which (you must know) is 

 done, both to prevent slipping, and also that the shank 

 of the hook may not cut the hairs of your towght, 

 which sometimes it will otherwise do. Which being 

 done, take your line, and draw it likewise betwixt your 

 finger and thumb holding the hook so fast, as only 

 to suffer it to pass by until you have the knot of your 

 towght almost to the middle of the shank of your hook, 

 on the inside of it ; then whip your silk twice or thrice 

 about both hook and line, as hard as the strength of 

 the silk will permit. Which being done, strip the 

 feather, for the wings, proportionable to the bigness of 

 your fly; placing that side downwards which grew 

 uppermost before, upon the back of the hook ; leav- 

 ing so much only as to serve for the length of the 

 wing of the point of the plume, lying reversed, from 

 the end of the shank upwards : then whip your silk 

 twice, or thrice, about the root-end of the feather, hook, 

 and towght; which being done, clip off the root-end of 

 tire feather close-by the arming, and then whip the 

 silk, fast and firm, about the hook and towght, until 

 you come to the bend of the hook but not further as 

 you do at London, and so make a very unhandsome, 

 and, in plain English, a very unnatural and shapeless 

 fly. Which being done, cut away the end of your 

 towght, and fasten it. And then take yonr DUBBING, 

 which is to make the body of your fly, as much as you 

 think convenient; and holding it lightly with your 

 hook betwixt the finger and thumb of your left hand, 

 take your silk with the right, and twisting it betwixt 

 the finger and thumb of that hand, the dubbing will 

 spin itself about the silk, which when it has done, 

 whip it about the armed-hook, backward, till you come 

 to the setting-on of the wings. And then take the 

 feather for the wings, and divide it equally into two 

 parts; and turn them back towards the bend of the 

 nook, the one on the one side, and the other on the 

 other of the shank; holding them fast iu that posture 



