50 THE ABT OF FISHING. 



capture will be more satisfactory if effected by 

 one's own tackle. 



To make your own flies, you must be provided 

 with a set of hooks of different sizes, varying from 

 No. 3 to 12, and smaller still if you can procure 

 them. Your gut should be very small small, I say 

 in all patterns, to suit the fly to which it is at- 

 tached (except in the case of bob or side-flies), 

 at the extremity of the tapering from the very butt 

 end of your rod ; 'the gut for your end-fly (I call it 

 so to distinguish from the bob or side-fly) should 

 be from eight to ten inches long, not shorter, that 

 the joining on may not be too near your fly. 

 You must procure dubbing of different colours. 

 Some persons recommend wools dyed for that 

 purpose. I see, however, no general necessity for 

 this ; Nature being the best dyer. Get together 

 the following wools, and soft hair, so fine as to 

 resemble the down on feathers, the former from 

 the neck and under part of the sheep, that it may 

 be the softer and finer, the latter from the inside 

 of the ears of horses of different colours; from 

 donkeys' ears also. In fact dubbing may be pro- 

 cured from various animals ; from the red and 

 white spaniel for instance, from the fox or pole- 

 cat, also from stoats, weasels, and ferrets. By a 

 careful selection you may obtain dubbing of 



