LINES AND REELS. 49 



these reasons no one who values pocket or com- 

 fort should use a silk and hair line, whether 

 twisted or plaited. Until recently I have myself 

 for some years used the dressed silk line, and 

 found it at any rate strong and smooth-running 

 two great advantages, it must be admitted, but 

 within the last few years a new description of line 

 made of spun cotton has been manufactured by 

 the Manchester Twine-spinning Company, which 

 whilst inexpensive as compared with the dressed 

 silk line, is equally strong and more durable. This 

 line is what is termed " cable-laid" twisted, that 

 is, in the same manner as a ship's cable, the 

 principle of which is that whilst the cable itself is 

 twisted, say from right to left, the separate ropes 

 of which it is composed are twisted from left to 

 right. The result of this is that the two twists 

 counteract each other in their mutual inclination 

 to kink, and when wetted the cable instead of 

 swelling hardens and contracts. The spun-cotton 

 lines are made on the same principle, of sizes to 

 suit all sorts of fish, including Salmon, and answer 

 perfectly both for fly-fishing and ordinary bottom 

 fishing. 



They are not dressed in any way, but are 

 stained a good neutral, or slate colour. Specimens 

 D 2 



