28 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



starling, as it keeps its web so well ; separate with the point 

 of a knife or a pin about half an inch of the long fibres on one 

 piece. Take this web of fibres in the right finger and 

 thumb and straighten the points of it by a little manipula- 

 tion, until all the fibres stand up as nearly level on the 

 points as can be. Hold firmly in this shape and tear 

 them off the quill ; lay this wing down and prepare another 

 web same way, the dark side of the feather lowermost. 

 This is the inside of the pinion not exposed when on the 

 bird. These are to form the two wings. Now for the 

 body : This may be made either of floss silk, of a desired 

 colour, or of wool, mohair, or fur. If it is silk, a piece 

 sufficient to cover the body of fly is cut off and laid down ; 

 if it is a mixture of hair or wool, this is sorted together, 

 mixed according to known proportions, to get desired 

 colour. It may be a third of hare's ear, a third of olive 

 mohair, a few hairs of claret, fiery red, or brown. These 

 are teased up, and a sufficient quantity is made up in the 

 hollow of the hand into a little roll, pear shaped, about one 

 inch long, or less if the hook is small ; lay this down also. 

 Now cut off a piece of gold or silver tinsel, flat, about one- 

 and-a-half inches, then take two fibres, either of wild duck 

 feathers or two rat's or rabbit's whiskers or any of the fibres 

 used to make the tails ; lay these down and then prepare the 

 hackle for legs. This is generally the small spear-shaped 

 feather taken from the back of the head of a barn door fowl, 

 a game cock, or it may be the tail feather of a wren or a 

 partridge back feather. The hackle feather is taken by the 

 extreme point with the right finger and thumb, and the fibres 

 are stroked the wrong way by the left finger and thumb r 

 so as to make them stare, and to stand out when coiled 

 round the fly. Now all being ready and enough materials, 



