HOOKS. 117 



er's wax, which can be folded in a piece of soft leather to 

 prevent soiling one's fingers. 



Some writers advise laying the gut on the back of 

 the shank, but it is much better and more proper to 

 place it on the front or inside of the shank. When it is 

 on the back the direction of the traction and the strain is 

 away from the end of the shank, and has a tendency to 

 stretch or loosen the wrapping at that point ; while with 

 the gut in front of the shank this is obviated, as can be 

 easily demonstrated, by placing the point of the hook against 

 the ball of the thumb and making traction on the snell. 



Now, then, to tie a tapered hook to gut, proceed as fol- 

 lows : First wax the silk well ; then take the hook between 

 the thumb and forefinger of the left hand (if you are right- 

 handed), with the end of the shank to the right, and the 

 barb uppermost ; lay the gut along the inside of the shank 

 for half its length, for small and medium-sized hooks, or 

 one-third for large hooks ; and lay the silk alongside of 

 the gut, their two ends together ; and begin wrapping the 

 silk (around the gut, shank and itself) at the end of the 

 shank, and wrap firmly, evenly and closely down toward 

 the bend of the hook, using as much strain in wrapping as 

 the silk will bear, and continue the wrapping for a short 

 distance, or six or eight turns, below the end of the gut. 

 Begin the wrapping just below the end of the shank, leaving 

 its tip bare, and finish the wrapping with the invisible knot. 



The invisible knot is formed in two ways : one by revers- 

 ing the hook in the fingers of the left hand, so that the 

 shank points to the left, and laying the silk along the shank 

 with its end beyond the end of the shank, leaving a loop of 

 the silk to continue the wrapping, around the shank, gut and 

 silk, passing the loop over and around the bend of the hook 



