CHAPTER III. 



FLY-DRESSING. 



I FIND it impossible, by means of a few cursory direc- 

 tions, to make the art of fly-dressing sufficiently intel- 

 ligible to the reader. In order to become an adept, he 

 requires to be instructed, not by book but by practice ; 

 nor should he trust slavishly to the method of this or 

 that artist, but allow room for the exercise of his own 

 taste and ingenuity, especially in the selection of 

 feathers and dubbing for salmon hooks. Before ven- 

 turing to describe the process generally followed in 

 dressing the artificial fly, I shall jot down, as a matter 

 of course, the materials useful to the general dresser, 

 enlarging upon them here and there, as I think it 

 expedient. 



MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 



1. Hooks, Philips and Adlington, of all sizes. 



2. Gut, dyed and of its natural colour, both salmon and trouting de- 



scriptions. 



3. Nippers, of thick wire, brass or iron. 



4. A pair of fine scissors, curved at the points. 



5. Silk threads of various degrees of fineness, colour, and shade. 



6. Floss silks to correspond, wound up on small bobbins. 



7. Phial of fine spirit varnish. 



8. Wax, shoemakers', worked up with white resin, to give it consistency. 



9. Dubbings, pigs-wool, mohair, wools and worsteds of all shades and 



colours, muscle silk, hare-leg, water-rat skin, combings of cow- 

 hair, &c., &c. 



10. Tinsels, gold and silver, flat, corded, and fretted, of various breadths. 



1 1 . Wing-divider or point. 



12. Feathers, among which may be principally mentioned 





