130 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



tf catches " or wires attached to each joint about two inches 

 off each other and opposite; these "catches" are lashed 

 together by a few turns of a stout thread, and prevent any 

 possibility of the joints withdrawing when casting. This 

 joint has been made with a fish screw at the end of the 

 tongue, which by a turn fits into a receptacle made for it; it 

 is not much of an improvement, and adds somewhat to the 

 weight. Another taper or tongued joint, called the lock 

 joint, is now coming into use ; it has a bayonet catch, which 

 by a turn grips fast and does away with the " catches " and 

 lashing by thread ; it is a sensible joint. There is a flexible 

 joint, which is also made of brass, and the ferrule is cut 

 spirally, so that, when in its place, the maker claims for it 

 that it allows the portion of the rod under the brass to spring 

 equally with the rest of it. There is a small socket in centre 

 of wood, and a pin to correspond on the counter side ; this 

 serves as the tongue. It is also fastened by a gib, 

 which grips on a small rim brazed on the end of the ferrule 

 and does aw r ay with lashing. There are several other ferrule 

 joints, but those mentioned are the principal ones. Lastly 

 comes the oldest of all, which still has its ardent admirers, 

 namely, the spliced waxed joint. Each piece of the rod 

 is made with a taper splice seven or eight inches long, 

 accurately fitted to ,each other, and lapped together by 

 a well-waxed cord or silk braid in open coils, which 

 allows the rod to play almost as well as if it was 

 thorough from butt to top. It is a little troublesome to 

 make, and there is a danger of the fine splices getting 

 broken or damaged. A spliced joint is very often used 

 as a top joint of a salmon rod, as it stands a good bend 

 and seldom breaks. All the brass joints can be had from 

 the tackle makers, and are in standard sizes, generally 



