FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 83 



3rd. The same wing as the last fly, with a single 

 turn of a soft black hen-hackle, or small feather 

 taken from the shoulder of the starling, dressed with 

 dark-coloured silk. 



An immense number of killing flies may be made 

 by varying the wings and body, but nothing is 

 gained by extending the number beyond those just 

 mentioned, and we do not believe six more killing 

 imitations can be manufactured. We have fished 

 with flies of all kinds, and got flies from several of 

 the best anglers, both amateur and professional, but 

 have never found anything superior to these, and we 

 can recommend them with great confidence. 



For fly-dressing, in addition to the feathers, etc., 

 just mentioned, a number of miscellaneous articles 

 are necessary namely, brass nippers for putting on 

 small feathers or hackles ; a pair of fine scissors, 

 curved at the points ; a needle for dividing wings 

 and raising dubbing ; silk of all colours, the thinner 

 the better, as it makes the firmer dressing ; shoe- 

 maker's wax, and a mixture of resin and burgundy 

 pitch, to be used when the colour of the silk is 

 intended to be shown on the fly ; hooks of all sizes, 

 the bend to be particularly attended to. The size 

 of hook should always bear some proportion to the 

 size of fly, but the exact size of hook that will be 

 most killing with a fly of a certain size is exceedingly 

 difficult to determine. Some of the shop flies are 

 dressed upon hooks so small, and rolled round with 

 so much dubbing and hackle, that we would con- 

 sider their chances of hooking one trout out of ten 



