LESSONS IX FLY-MAKING. 89 



the left hand or the spring pincers. Then release the 

 tying silk and wind it rapidly and tightly round the 

 hackle, finishing with a cloven hitch i. e., two half 

 hitches. Next, snip off the end of your hackle and preen 

 the fibers with the stiletto and you have the legs of the 

 fly made as shown in Figure 56. Do not use the scissors 

 to trim the hackle when on ; this is the sign of amateur- 

 ish work. Adjust the size of each part of a fly before 

 putting it together. That is the proper way. In order 



Fig. 59. THE " QUEEN " BASS FLY. 



to arrive at the right proportion, it is a good plan to buy 

 a pattern from a first-class maker. 



The next consideration is the wings. These are com- 

 posed of two small feathers of equal size from the red 

 ibis, and are first prepared by stripping oil all the fluffy 

 part nearest the end of the quill. They are then taken 

 and neatly placed in the position shown at a, Figure 57, 

 and secured by two or three turns and a half hitch of the 

 silk. Then turn them into their proper position, hold- 

 ing them firmly between finger and thumb while lapping 

 the silk round. Figure 57 roughly represents the method 



