56 THE ART OF FISHING. 



It is extremely difficult to give directions for 

 fly-making in writing I mean sufficiently so 

 to make an accomplished artist. Directions in 

 writing, after having seen a fly made, will wonder- 

 fully forward you in the art. I therefore strongty 

 recommend your seeing the process, and watch- 

 ing narrowly the method resorted to by a good 

 fly-maker, before you study my directions. 



It is for the making a very simple fly that I 

 have laid down the above rules. To avoid making 

 those rules too complicated, I have left out ac- 

 companiments in fly-making, of making horns, 

 tails, gold and silver twist for the bodies of 

 flies, which you must use, when required, in 

 tying down your dubbing, before you wind round 

 your hackle. As an instance, before you tie down 

 at the bend of your hook, place the tail on it, 

 which may be part of the strand of a peacock's 

 tail feathers (if it be a large fly, such as the 

 drake or May fly) ; but if for a smaller fly you are 

 making, then take some simple hair. The same 

 materials will also answer for the horns of a fly, 

 which latter of course you must tie down at the 

 head. Fasten your gold or silver twist after the 

 same manner ; tie first at one end of the hook, 

 and wind it round till you come to the other end 

 of the bend, and then tie again. You must be 



