MAKING AND CHUSING RODS, &C. 21 



for a well-chosen, even, clear, round hair, of a 

 kind of glass-colour, will prove as strong as three 

 uneven scabby hairs : then put them in water 

 for a quarter of an hour, when made into lengths, 

 and you will thereby find which of them shrink ; 

 then twist them over again. Some in the twisting 

 intermingle silk, which is erroneous ; yet a line 

 of all silk may do pretty well, though I prefer 

 hair in every mode of angling, except trolling, 

 and then a. silk line is best. Now the best colours 

 for lines are sorrel, white, and grey ; the two last 

 colours for clear waters, and the first for muddy 

 waters : neither is the pale watery green despi- 

 cable, which is made thus : put a pint of strong 

 alum-water, half a pound of soot, a small quan- 

 tity of juice of waluut-leaves, into a pipkin, boil 

 them about half an hour, then take it off the fire, 

 and when it is cold steep your hair in it ; or else 

 boil a handful of mary gold -flowers, with a quart 

 of alum-water, till a yellow scum arises, then take 

 half a pound of green copperas, with as much 

 verdigris, and beat them together to a fine pow- 

 der, and put them and the hair into the alum-wa- 

 ter, and let them lie in it ten hours or more, then 

 take them out and let them dry. Hair is made 

 brown by steeping it in salt and ale. The best way 



c r i i i T -i J 



or forming the hair into lines is with a new-in- 

 vented engine, to be bought at any of the shops, 

 and is to be used thus. To twist links with this en- 

 gine, take as many hairs as you intend each shall 

 consist of, and dividing them into thiee parts, tie 

 each parcel to a bit of fine twine, about six inches 

 long, doubled, and put through the hooks which 

 impend from the machine : then take a piece of 

 lead, of a conical figure, two inches high and two 

 in diameter at the base, with a hook at the npcx 



