274 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



For the making of a hackle, or palmer-fly, my father Walton 

 has already given you sufficient direction.* 



* But, with Mr Cotton's good leave, he has not, nor has any author 

 that I know of, unless we are to take that for a palmer which Walton has 

 given directions for making, part i. p. 108, which I can never do till T see 

 what I have never yet seen, namely, caterpillars with wings. Rejecting, 

 therefore, wings as unnatural and absurd, supposing you would make the 

 plain hackle, or palmer, which are terms of the same import, the method ot 

 doing it is as follows, viz. 



Hold your hook in a horizontal position, with the shank downwards, and 

 the bent of it between the fore-finger and thumb of your left hand ; and, 

 having a fine bristle and other materials lying by you, take half a yard of 

 fine red marking silk, well waxed, and with your right hand give it four 

 or five turns about the shank of the hook, inclining the turns to the right 

 hand : when yon are near the end of the shank, turn it into such a loop as 

 you are hereafter directed to make for fastening off, and draw it tight, 

 leaving the ends of the silk to hang down at each end of the hook. Having 

 singed the end of your bristle, lay the same along on the inside of the shank 

 of the hook, as low as the bent, and whip four or five times round ; then 

 singeing the other end of the bristle to a fit length, turn it over to the back 

 of the shank, and, pinching it into a proper form, whip down and fasten 

 off, as before directed, which will bring both ends of the silk into the bent. 

 After you have waxed your silk again, take three or four strands of an 

 ostrich feather, and holding them and the bent of the hook as at first 

 directed, the feathers to your left hand, and the roots in the bent of your 

 hook, with that end of the silk which you just now waxed, whip them 

 three or four times round, and fasten off: then turning the feathers to the 

 right, and twisting them and the silk with your fore-finger and thumb, 

 wind them round the shank of the hook, still supplying the short strands 

 with new ones, as they fail, till you come to the end, and fasten off. When 



ri have so done, clip off the ends of the feathers, and trim the body of 

 palmer small at the extremities, and full in the middle, and wax 

 both ends of your silk, which are now divided, and lie at either end of the 

 hook. 



Lay your work by you ; and, taking a strong bold hackle, with fibres 

 about half an inch long, straighten the stem very carefully, and, holding 

 the small end between the fore-finger and thumb of your left hand, with 

 those of the right stroke the fibres the contrary way to that which they 

 naturally lie ; and taking the hook, and holding it as before, lay the point 

 of the hackle into the bent of the hook, with the hollow (which is the 

 palest) side upwards, and whip it very fast to its place : in doing whereof, 

 be careful not to tie in many of the fibres ; or, if you should chance to do 

 so, pick them out with the point of a very large needle. 



When the hackle is thus made fast, the utmost care and nicety isnecessary 

 in winding it on ; for if you fail in this, your fly is spoiled, and you must 



begin all again : to prevent which, keeping the hollow or pale side to your 

 left hand, and, as much as possible, the side of the stem down on the dubbing, 

 wind the hackle twice round; and holding fast what you have so wound, 





pick out the loose fibres which you may have taken in, and make another 

 turn ; then lay hold of the hackle with the third and fourth fingers of your 

 left hand, with which you may extend it while you disengage the loose 

 fibres as before. 



In this manner proceed till you come to within an eighth of an inch of the 

 end of the shank, where you will find an end of silk hanging ; and by which 

 time you will find the fibres at the great end of the hackle something 

 discomposed ; clip these off close to the stem, and with the end of your 

 middle finger press the stem close to the hook, while, with the fore-finger 

 of your right hand, you turn the silk into a loop ; which, when you have 

 twice put over the end of the shank of the hook, loop and all, your 

 work is safe. 



Then wax that end of the silk which you now used, and turn it over as 

 before, till you have taken up nearly all that remained of the hook, 

 observing to lay the turns neatly side by side ; and, lastly, clip off the 



