454 AMERICAN FISHES. 



We trust that these directions will enable any one to manufacture 

 for himself, after patience, practice, and perseverance. But we would 

 particularly advise any one so beginning to take a few lessons from a 

 practised hand, where he will see all the minute dodges w r e cannot de- 

 scribe. 



Finnegan of New York would doubtless give lessons in this beauti- 

 ful art, and, to judge by his flies, no one is more competent to do so. 

 They have that peculiarity about them that bespeaks them Irish, and 

 are most neatly manufactured, though without any appearance of stiff- 

 ness or eye-serving about them. 



Having described the method as practised by ourselves, we will for 

 the present pass over the different sort of flies in vogue, and show how 

 your gut casting-line is to be made. Select for salmon eight or ten of 

 the very strongest gut you can pick out, prove each link separately 

 one end between your teeth, tjie other round a finger ; pull till it 

 breaks. Try it again, and if it resist considerably put it into a basin 

 of water. Serve the rest in the same way, then take out two pieces 

 of about equal thickness; place the thick end of one to the thin of the 

 other, let them once lap an inch or two ; holding them so, take the 

 short end of one, pass it over the other long end ; bring it underneath, 

 and, passing it twice through, the loop is formed. The same with the 

 other short end ; pull the knots tight and draw the two ends together ; 

 this knot never gives. Observe the following figures : 



Fig. 1. 



Figure 2 is the single knot, but it is liable to slip. Keep adding 

 to these two links, either thicker at one end or thinner at the other, till 

 you get the required length of foot-line. To the thick end may be 

 added two or three lengths of double and treble gut, if you like it, it is 

 rather better. To twist gut, you must wet it and put one or two in 

 each quill, with a stick to keep it from slipping, then plait one over the 

 other, drawing it out of the quills as you proceed. I have mentioned 

 this, not because I thought it necessary for I presume every school- 



