A WINGED FLY. 459 



done either when the hook is being tied on to the gut, or 

 afterwards, when the body is being warped on, a turn of 

 the silk being taken over the herl or dubbing to secure it 

 while the hackle is being tied on. The silk is then wound 

 up to the shoulder ; the body worked up to it and tied off; 

 two or three turns of the hackle are then taken, by which 

 time that too will reach the shoulder, and can be tied off, 

 when the wing is put on, and all is finished. But be 

 sure not to overhackle your fly it makes it lumpy and 

 unnatural ; as a rule, nine fly tyers in ten overdo this. 

 No fly has more than six legs, and the imitation is none 

 the more faithful for having sixty ; though, if you want 

 to fish with a dry fly, a little more feather all round may 

 be used. Some flies have the hackle put on from tail to 

 head, like a palmer or the sedge fly, as I have shown ; 

 others have this same make, but the hackle is much more 

 thinly laid on. When this is the case, strip off the fibres 

 from one side, and only tie on the single side left on the 

 quill (see Plate XIV. fig. 10). Be sure you strip off the 

 right side, or you will find the hackle will not roll on. 

 To tie on the wing, select carefully a fragment of some 

 feather, as the wing of jay, pheasant, starling, or black- 

 bird, and strip it off neatly, taking care not to split or 

 separate the fibres. The wing being held between one 

 finger and thumb, the, but ends of the fibres are pinched 

 together by the other, so as to compress them without, if 

 possible, bending or doubling up the wing (see Plate 

 XIV. fig. 12). This is then laid to the head of the hook 

 and set in the direction it is desirable to make it stand, 

 and two or three turns of the silk taken over it, the silk 

 being then fastened off in the usual way. 



If a pair of wings are to be set on, it is as well to pick a 

 strip of two separate feathers from both wings of the bird ; 

 by this means the feathers will set properly, and each wing 

 of the fly will have the bright and glossy side outwards, 



