ARTIFICIAL FLY-MAKING. 53 



the feathers in turmeric, which will turn them 

 yellow, for that is the natural colour of that 

 fly. You should also have ready before you, on a 

 table placed as near the window as possible, and 

 yourself seated with the light full in your face, a 

 small pair of sharp scissors, pointed ; some wax on 

 a small piece of parchment (that you may hold 

 it between your finger and thumb when waxing, 

 without getting any on your fingers) ; some fine 

 silk, with your hackle ready prepared, and that 

 after the following method : Split your silk, that 

 it may be as fine as possible ; taking one of the 

 strands, which should be five or six inches long, and 

 wax it carefully I say carefully, because in conse- 

 quence of your having removed it from the other 

 strands it will be very weak, and liable to break ; 

 and when you have waxed it, double a small por- 

 tion of the end of it, as if you were going to tie a 

 knot in it, leaving it not drawn close, but suffi- 

 cient room left to insert the tip end of your hackle, 

 clipping a little of the feather off at the root first ; 

 this done, tie the knot tightly after you shall have 

 i nserted the tip end of the feather into it. In order 

 to effect this, you must first of all hold the tip 

 end of the hackle or feather between the thumb 

 and finger of your left hand, and with the thumb 

 and finger of your right hand turn the feathers 



