FLY-MAKING. 199 



with the latter. It should be kept in a small piece 

 of leather. Shoemaker's wax itself is the strongest, 

 but is sticky in warm weather and hard in cold. 

 The best silk is the finest sewing-machine silk, 

 marked with three O's on the spool ; but for very 

 small trout-hooks the better plan is to twist two or 

 three strands of spool floss-silk together and wax 

 them carefully. 



Tinsel of a superior kind is difficult to obtain ; the 

 silver should be both variegated and plain, and the 

 yellow either gold or well covered with gilt, and 

 both flat and wound over fine silk. A mixture of 

 both sorts of a poor quality is used to tie linen 

 goods, and can be obtained at the furnishing stores, 

 but a better article is to be had from the importers 

 of gold and silver braids. The proper kind of floss- 

 silk comes in spools, and can be wound off by the 

 single thread over the hand till a proper thickness 

 is attained, and will work much better than the 

 common floss skeins. If the latter are used, they must 

 be divided into several strands and are apt to bunch. 



Worsted of all colors can be obtained in the 

 rough, or the yarn may be picked or used intact ; 

 the former is the best plan, and rivals mohair in 

 appearance. 



Mohair may be purchased from the importers of 

 woollens, while it seems impossible, except by direct 

 importation from the English tackle-shops, to obtain 

 either pig's hair or seal's fur. For salmon-flies the 

 two last are infinitely preferable, having a gloss that 

 no other material possesses. 



