50 FLY-FISHING. 



have also been sent me of the same lines dressed 

 in various ways with india-rubber and tar for pur- 

 poses of trolling. Neither of the dressings, how- 

 ever, properly effect their object ; and if they did, 

 would still be useless, as in a single day's spinning 

 the whole of the dressing wears off. The Com- 

 pany, however, informed me that they were 

 about, at my suggestion, to try experiments with 

 oil dressings, with what result I have not yet 

 heard. 



GUT-LINES. 



Gut lines are preferable for every description of 

 bottom and fly-fishing, and, especially in the latter 

 case, it is important that they should be carefully 

 and evenly tapered from top to bottom. The 

 three chief points to be looked to in selecting 

 silk- worm gut, are roundness, evenness of substance, 

 and above all transparency; and in the case of 

 very fine gut, to seeing that it has not been scraped, 

 or artificially fined down in any way. Gut so 

 treated is what is termed "drawn-gut? Its 

 appearance is not so glossy as the natural material, 

 and it frays and wears out almost directly when 

 exposed to moisture and friction of any sort. 

 Exceedingly fine, round, natural gut is, of course, 



