TKOUT FLY-MAKING. 71 



and stir up." Gut may be stained by weak solutions of 

 the Diamond dyes, and by any of the above. 



Among the list of materials, wax and varnish must 

 not be omitted. Cobblers' wax was for a long time used 

 as the best ; but a colorless wax made as follows is, in my 

 opinion, the best, and takes the varnish better than any 

 others I have used : 



WHITE WAX. Four ounces best white resin, one-half 

 ounce fresh lard, one-quarter ounce white wax. Melt 

 the resin first ; then add the wax and then the lard ; 

 let it simmer for a quarter of an hour ; then pour into a 

 basin of cold water and pull it like taffy. The longer 

 you pull it the whiter it becomes. 



VARNISH. Brown scale shellac dissolved in alcohol is 

 a good varnish for flies with dark heads. Bleached shel- 

 lac is better, however, producing, as it does, an almost 

 colorless varnish. The best of all is a varnish I call the 

 crystal varnish, made as follows : Take a quantity of 

 the best gum cop-al and pick out the lightest colored and 

 clearest nodules. Now, test them for their fitness by 

 touching each with a drop of the oil of rosemary. If the 

 gum becomes at once sticky where the oil touched it, it 

 will serve your purpose. Put these pieces on one side. 

 When you have enough, say three or four ounces, pul- 

 verize them in an iron or glass mortar, and spread the 

 dust over a shallow dish in a thickish layer. Next, pour 

 oil of rosemary over the layer of gum till it is just 

 covered. Let it stand a little time, till the gum is per- 

 meated, and then stir the whole mass together. It should 

 form a plastic, sticky paste. Now, add alcohol gradually, 

 and it is well if you place the dish over a water bath, to 



