.TROUT-FLIES. 39 



some way to dress the silk with a waterproot 

 coating to obviate the loss of colour to which flies 

 tied with undressed body-silk are subject. The 

 yellows particularly lose in this manner. After a 

 good many experiments I hit upon a colourless 

 wax, which fulfils both these conditions, and is 

 moreover more convenient to manipulate than the 

 ordinary cobbler's wax, which in cold weather 

 becomes brittle and " chippy." A receipt for the 

 colourless wax is appended : 



Receipt for Colourless Wax. Burgundy pitch, 

 1 20 grains (J- of an oz.) ; white resin, 60 grains ; 

 tallow, 20 grains. Having reduced the resin and 

 pitch to a mixed powder and placed them in some 

 clean receptacle (an egg-cup will be found very 

 convenient), put them into an oven, and when 

 quite melted add the tallow, stirring the whole 

 thoroughly up together for several minutes. The 

 wax, which when cold will be quite hard, will be 

 ready for use in about twelve hours. The above 

 quantities will make a lump of wax as large as a 

 walnut. 



The wax should be kept perfectly free 

 from dust and dirt, and in using it for dress- 

 ing the yellow flies, it is very desirable that the 



