BE ST'S ART OF A N G LI N G . 



back of the shank upwards, and the point towards 

 your right hand; then take a strong small silk, 

 of the colour most predominant in the fly you 

 intend to make, wax it well with wax of the 

 same colour and draw it between your finger 

 and thumb to the end of the shank, then whip 

 it twice or thrice about the bare hook, which 

 prevents its slipping, and the shank of the hook 

 from cutting the gut: which being done take 

 your gut and draw it likewise between your finge 

 and thumb, holding ihe hook so fast as only to 

 suffer it to pass by, till the end of the gut is 

 near the middle of the shank of the hook, OP 

 the inside of it: then whip the silk twice or 

 thrice about both gut and hook, as hard as the 

 strength of the silk will permit ; after that take 

 the wings, which before you began to make your 

 fly you had stripped off the stem for its wings, 

 and proportional to it, and which lie with your 

 other materials by you, (as they always should 

 before you begin) and place that side downwards 

 which grew uppermost before, upon the back 

 .of the hook, leaving so much only, to serve for 

 the leng-th of the wings of the point of the 

 plume, laying it reversed from the end of the 

 shank upwards, t,hen whip your silk twice or thrice 

 about the root-end of the feather, gut, and hook; 

 which being done, clip off the root end of the 

 feather close by the arming, and then whip the 

 silk fast and firm about the hook and gut till you 

 come to the bend of it ; and then, if the gut 

 goes beyond the bend of the hook, cut it off, 

 and make all fast; take then ihe dubbing which 

 is to make the body of your fly, as much as you 

 think will do, and holding it lightly with your 

 hook, between the finger and thumb of your 

 left hand, take the silk with your right hand, 



