INITIATION IN FLY-MAKING. 103 



learn to think, not what others think, but to think for himself. For 

 whilst the memory is loaded, the understanding remains unexercised, or 

 exercised in such trammels as constrain its motions and direct its pace. 



The icisest course in fly making is not to dawdle in premature 

 attempts with silk bodies, bodies of Seal's fur, or of silver tinsel ; or even 

 with " built," "mixed," or other forms of wings. The business is far more 

 comprehensible and memorable when the entire attention is devoted to 

 Grubs, until the student at least perfects himself in hackling, in " tags " 

 and " tails," and in the manipulation of chenilles, together with their 

 accompaniments as, for instance, Jungle for cheeks of Grubs. 



My object in not mentioning this matter before is obvious, and is 

 vindicated by the fact of not having to travel twice over the same ground 

 of instruction. The student is, for example, familiar with the working of 

 hackles, tags, and tails ; but of chenille, I have a few words to say. 



Suppose, then, we have lying before us a " Jungle Hornet " fly (in 

 course of preparation), showing the tying-silk made off after the butt 

 hackle has been so tied down that the " interval " on the shank of the 

 hook is partially filled in ; how is the fly to be completed ? 



Select first, three pair of Jungle. Choose for " cheeking " the butt 

 hackle the two smallest, and prepare them by stripping the fibres on each 

 side of the stem up to the black and white spots. Fix them. This is 

 best done by holding the hook in the right hand, whilst the left fingers 

 encompass and draw the fibres of the hackle over and beyond the tag, 

 where they are held with the hook, out of the way of the work. 



Take the Jungle feather by the root, place it in the desired position 

 on the near side ; rai ;e the left thumb so as to grasp the feather whilst 

 one turn of the tying-silk is given, which is now put in CATCH. Fix the 

 far side cheek in a similar manner, and cut off the waste ends at a point 

 that they fit the " interval " on the shank of the hook. Release silk, give 

 two more temporary turns of it, and make off. 



Having cut off two six-inch lengths of yellow and black chenille for 

 the body, remove the fluff at one end of each for, say, one quarter of an 

 inch to expose the core, by snipping off small portions with the right 

 finger nails. Release silk, and put it in CATCH after carefully unwinding 

 the two temporary turns. Put the exposed core of the yellow chenille on 



