84 THE SALMON FLY. 



up somewhat near to the shank beforehand so as to allow room for them 

 to pull. 



Then, with these CATCH fingers draw the silk gently taut downwards, 

 while the right fore-finger and thumb grasp the strips at the point of tie, 

 so that the wings shall not be bent over to one side or the other, but sit 

 regularly on edge when completed. This regularity is secured 011 the one 

 hand by the grasping, and on the other, by keeping the other end of the 

 strips strictly in position by a well-sustained pressure of the left fore- 

 finger and thumb, while the tying-silk is pulled taut. CATCH silk. 



Maintain the left pressure, and before putting further turns of silk 

 headwards, lift up the waste ends on to the top of thejiook. This lifting 

 serves a double purpose. In the first place, it so affects the strips that 

 they " sit down " close along the body- work, leaving little space between 

 them and the butt ; and secondly, it helps to keep them in the desired 

 position when the fly is finished. The waste ends are taken in one grasp, 

 and somewhat forcibly made to rest on the shank, instead of posing by the 

 side of it. Give further turns ; make off, and inspect work. 



The under-wings should now be easily stroked with the right fingers 

 into their correct position (as shown in the Analytical fly), unbroken in 

 fibre, and each presenting a similar appearance, especially at the point of 

 tying on. Were it not for the lifting, the strips would "sit up " much 

 above the body work, and so be almost obscured by the materials worked 

 on afterwards. But it is not expected that the student will be pleased or 

 satisfied with his effort at the onset. Success in this detail cannot be 

 reached without practice, and the endeavour to attain it. If, however, he 

 chooses, he can resort to the far more simple method of fixing mixed 

 wings, which I will explain presently. By such method he can master 

 Turkey strips in an hour ; and Mallard strips, or even those of Teal, in 

 a day. 



It will assist the learner at this point to remind him that the single 

 strands of wing-feathers are not round, but more or less knife shaped, and 

 that all strips or strands must be so tied to the hook, when tied on either 

 side, that the knife edges shall incline upivards. 



To recognize this fact means getting at the root of the problem of correct 

 winging. By taking a good big strand of feather, one, for example, from 



