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on " compulsion," as it soon gets ' woolly ' or ' pulpy,' and wears 

 out rapidly when exposed to moisture or friction. The gut when 

 first made has an outer yellow skin, and the ' dissolving off ' of 

 this probably by some sort of alkali produces a whitening or 

 bleaching effect, which makes the gut semi-opaque. Mr. R. B. 

 Marston writes on this subject : " That ordinary unstained 

 " bleached gut is semi-opaque may be easily proved by placing it 

 " over black writing on white paper. Mr. S. Allcock informed 

 " me some time ago that there was no difficulty in getting gut like 

 " glass, but that the dealers would not buy it unless it was 

 " bleached a process which impairs its strength and he sent 

 " me some strands from which the thin yellow skin had been 

 " merely peeled off, instead of being removed by chemicals. The 

 " gut was as transparent as the purest glass. I should like to ask 

 " him if he cannot put some of this really transparent unbleached 

 " gut on the market, and also what prevents ^undrawn gut being 

 " manufactured as fine as drawn gut ?" 



Dr. Henry Downes, who wields a graceful and prolific pen in 

 matters piscatorial, has touched upon this same question of gut- 

 bleaching in a letter to the editor of the Fishing Gazette : 



MANUFACTURE OF GUT IN SPAIN. 



SIR, Many years ago an officer in the 42nd Highlanders gave me a hank 

 of gut which he had brought from Gibraltar, having purchased it when stationed 

 there. It was in long strands, and had a distinct orange-coloured coating. 



It was the best gut I have ever seen, the strands being much longer and 

 stronger than any we can purchase in this country. 



If, by soaking in water, the orange coating could be easily removed, as 

 stated in your footnote to the interesting letter in the Fishing Gazette of the 

 1st inst., I have no doubt it would prove most perfect gut, far superior to any 

 that can be had at any fishing-tackle shop in England. 



It is a great pity that gut of this kind is not imported, as the various 

 processes through which it is put before being offered for sale no doubt 

 materially affect both its strength and transparency. I am, &c, , 



Tiverton, Devon, May 3, 1885. HENRY DOWNES, M.D. 



Here then is a department of fishing-tackle making in which 

 improvement appears to be not only most desirable but in all pro- 



