METHOD OF DRESSING A FLY. 93 



needle during the operation. Having carried the 

 feather and thread down to where you commenced, 

 wrap the silk three or four times round the end 

 of the feather, and if there is any left cut it off, 

 .and finish with a succession of hitch-knots, or the 

 common whip- fastening. If the legs of the spider 

 when dressed are too long, there is no remedy for 

 it; cutting injures rather than improves them. 

 This is a very rough and simple mode of dressing 

 a spider, and does not make it so neat as if the 

 feather were put on by a pair of nippers, but it is 

 more natural-looking, and much more durable, as 

 the feather is fastened on by the thread the whole 

 way down. 



A fly is more difficult to dress neatly than a 

 spider. Having selected the gut and hook, take 

 the feather of which you intend to make the wings, 

 and stripping off as much as you require, fold it up, 

 taking care that the lightest coloured side of the 

 feather is outside, and lay it beside the other 

 materials. It is quite common in fishing-tackle 

 shops to see the wings put on singly that is to 

 say, consisting of merely one fold of the feather. 

 This makes a beautiful fly out of the water, but 

 when once wet, is of little further use, as the fibres 

 run together, and form a mere thread. The wings 

 should consist of several folds of the feather, as then 

 they keep their original shape, wetting improving 

 rather than injuring their appearance. 



In dressing a fly, commence in the same manner 



