90 THE BEST SKINS FOR DUBBING. 



any striking portions preserved, every one of which 

 may prove valuable in the hour of need." 



Of hair, there is none more useful than that 

 called " hog's down." Naturally, it is of various 

 colours, and can be dyed artificially of any hue 

 advantageously. It resists the water well, and 

 when immersed in that element retains its vivid 

 colour, whatever that may be. I have a high 

 opinion of mohair, and it can be obtained of every 

 colour. Worsted is well suited for the bodies of 

 large flies. Mr. Blaine is very minute on this 

 subject. He says, " Of hair, that of calves, colts, 

 and cows, of every colour and from every part, 

 should be collected. About the ears of the silky- 

 coated spaniel, some of a very fine texture and rich 

 colour may be always met with. The tan of the 

 black spaniel, and the tawny, is all good and 

 worth selecting. In long wiry-haired animals 

 of every kind, there is at the roots of the longer 

 hairs a fine woolly substance. This should be looked 

 for in all skins, as it present shades very different 

 from the general exterior hue, and often produces 

 the richest and finest dubbing that it is possible 

 to meet with. Cuttings from the skin of the fox, 

 both young and old, should by all means be pro- 

 cured ; indeed, there is no part of the body of 

 this animal from which valuable shades of fur may 

 not be taken. Some hairs also of the stiff kind, 



