HOOKS. 15 



the points, and in the case of " best " hooks 

 are filed taper at the other or shank end ; this 

 is to give them a neater appearance when 

 whipped -to the gut or gimp. They then go 

 into another department, where they receive 

 their shape, and make their first appearance 

 as hooks; and as there is a "pattern" to be 

 formed for every shape, size, and description 

 on which the wire is bent, my readers can 

 imagine that there must be some little amount 

 of brain- work required even in making such a 

 common thing as a fish-hook. So far, all 

 goes well, and our hook has received the 

 desired shape : it now has to be hardened. 

 This is done in trays in a furnace. When the 

 hooks are "white hot," they are slid into a 

 bath of oil to cool. They are now, of course, 

 perfectly brittle, and before being tempered 

 have to be cleaned and brightened. This is 

 done by machinery, and they are then ready 

 for the most delicate operation of the whole 

 business, namely, the "tempering." There, 

 again, as in the case of a too deeply cut barb, 

 if the hook is not sufficiently tempered, off 

 goes the point, directly a bone is struck ; it 

 may be only the point, although a break 

 generally occurs where the barb is cut in ; 

 but if a fish is missed, the angler should 

 always examine the hook at once, as if the 

 fine point is gone, only a rough blunt point 

 is left, and with this he must be extremely 

 lucky if he catches anything at all. It is 



