33 2 ABOUT HOOKS. 



is done in a defective manner, by being left too 

 high or too low in temperament, another source of 

 disappointment and loss ensues as the inevitable 

 result. Amongst ;z0;z-japanned hooks uselessly soft 

 ones may sometimes be distinguished by the colour, 

 as when steel is left a very light blue, it is invariably 

 soft and pliable. The best tempered hooks are left 

 a purple-blue colour. In japanned hooks the only 

 reliable way of detecting faulty ones is to test them 

 by sticking the point in a piece of porous wood or 

 cork, and applying a heavy though steady strain to 

 the shank. Our idea of a perfect Limerick salmon 

 hook we give upon the diagram, fig. 3. The distance 

 from the bend to the point is greatly diminished ; 

 the barb and point being short and sharp are well 

 adapted to take good and firm hold upon a hard or 

 soft substance. The main strength of metal, too, is 

 just where most needed, namely, at the sudden turn 

 of the bend, which, it may be observed, is not nearly 

 so sharp or decisive as in the old style Limerick. 

 Experience teaches, so says the maxim. Experience 

 long since taught us that changes in this respect 

 were absolutely necessary, and for an equally long 

 period experience, the self-same teacher, has proved 

 the hook now submitted to be perfectly exempt from 

 the evils previously pointed out. The Kendal Sneck, 

 to which we have already made some allusion, is the 

 bend generally adopted for trout flies. It is often 

 made from very fine wire, which renders it useless for 

 a heavy fish. This is the hook most generally used 

 for dry-fly fishing. A judiciously tapered shank will 



