THE FLY-DRESSER'S INSTRUMENTS. 91 



from the skins of goats, cows, monkeys, and other 

 animals, should be saved by themselves, as those 

 also from the beards of cats, dogs, rabbits, and 

 badgers, and from the tails of ferrets and polecats, 

 to make the tails and horns of certain flies." 



For tying on flies the best silk is that which is 

 the finest and strongest. TJndyed silk is always 

 the strongest, and the floss silk used for making 

 delicate fringes, and the sewing silk employed in 

 the finest sort of glove work, are perhaps the best. 

 If you use them of different colours, wax them 

 with the w r ax, to make which I have already 

 given you a recipe. If you use white silk only, 

 you must wax with wax dyed the general colour 

 of the body of the fly you are dressing. As 

 common shoemaker's wax is always useful, ever 

 have a bit between a piece of leather to prevent it 

 from sticking to your fingers. Thick floss silk 

 and camlet of various hues are necessary for the 

 bodies of some flies and palmers. 



The instruments for fly-dressing are few. You 

 will want a small table vice, a small spring pliers, 

 a penknife with a file-blade, two pairs of scissors 

 of the very best manufacture, one with long and 

 fine blades, ending in the sharpest and finest 

 points, another with short stout blades and large 

 finger hooks, and as correctly pointed as the other. 

 A large needle, with a fine point and fitted into a 

 small handle, is necessary to divide the wings, 



