498 RECIPES AND NOTABILIA. 



colours or their commoner combinations. There are, how- 

 ever ? still certain colours olives, fiery browns, &c., &c., 

 produced by natural dyes, as crottle, &c., which are much 

 required in salmon flies, and much affected by the fish, 

 which are outside Judson altogether. In these cases the 

 angler must get his stuff ready dyed. 



To dress Lines. Take equal parts of boiled linseed oil 

 and copal varnish, and steep the line in it till well soaked 

 and then hang it out to dry, clearing off all the refuse 

 dressing with a piece of rag. When the line is dry, repeat 

 the operation. Some eschew varnish as being too brittle, 

 using a table-spoonful of gold size to a wine-glass of oil 

 instead. Gold size dries up the dressing more or less 

 quickly, as the quantity is increased or diminished. Boiled 

 oil, with a knob of resin, makes a useful dressing, and dries 

 quickly, but is sticky when warm, and is rather brittle. 

 India-rubber dressing will be found preservative, which is 

 not always the case with varnish and oil dressings, as these 

 often burn and injure the line. Cut up some white india- 

 rubber in small chips, and dissolve it in turps ; dress the 

 line with it, and when thoroughly dry it makes a capital 

 dressing, but it takes some time to lose its stickiness. All 

 lines should be thoroughly dried and hard before using, or 

 the dressing comes off speedily. The great point in the 

 dressing of lines for the dressing to stand wear is to have 

 the line plaited as openly and loosely as possible, so that 

 the dressing may penetrate into the heart of the line. 

 Many lines are plaited so tightly that the dressing never 

 reaches beyond the surface, whence it speedily scrapes off 

 again, leaving the line worse than before it was dressed. 



Varnish for Tackle, Hook Dressings, &c. Break up 

 some small shellac, put it into a bottle, and dissolve it 

 thoroughly in strong spirits of wine ; paint the dressing 

 over with it, and hang it in some warm spot to dry, which 

 it does speedily. Before using, shake up the varnish and 

 see that the dressing is thoroughly dry. It is also advis- 



