316 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART II. 



MARCH. 



For this month you are to use all the same hackles and 

 flies with the other ; but you are to make them less. 



ral and absurd, supposing you would make the plain hackle or palmer, which 

 are trim* of the same import, the method of doing it is as follow*, viz. 



Hold your hook in a horisoutal position, with the shank downwards, and the 

 beat or it between the fore-finger and thumb of your left hand ; and, huving a 

 fio bristle, and other material*, lying by you, lake half a yard of fine red mark- 

 ing silk, well waxed, and with your right hand give it four or five turns about 

 the shank of the hook, inclining the turn* to the right hand : when you ate near 

 the end of the thank, turn it into such a loop as you are hereafter directed to 

 make for fattening off. and draw it tight, leaving the ends of the silk to hung 

 down at each end of the hook. Having singed the end of your bristle, lay the 

 same along on the inside of the thank of the hook, a* low a* the bent, and whip 

 four or tve ttmws round; the* singeing the other end of the bristle to a fit length, 

 turn it over to the back of the shauk, and. pinching it into a proper form, w Inp 

 down and fasten off. as before directed ; which will bring both ends of the silk 

 Into the bent. After you have waxed your silk again, uke three or four strands 

 of an ostrich feather; and holding them and the bent of the hook as at first 

 directed, the feather* to v or left hand, and the roots in the bent of your book, 

 with that end of the silk which you jost BOW waxed, whip them three or four limes 

 round, and fatten off; then turning the feathers to the light, and twisting them 

 aad the silk willi yoor fore-fiagar and thumb, wind them round the shank of' the 

 hook, still supplying the short strands with new ones, as they fail, till you c<.me 

 to the end aud fasten off. When you have so done, clip off the ends of the fea- 

 then, aad trim the body of the palmer small at the extremities, and full in the 

 middle, and wax both ends of your silk, which are now divided, and lie at either 

 aad of the hook. 



Lay your work by you ; and taking a strong bold hackle with fibres about half 

 an inch loo;, straighten the stein very carefully, and, holding the small rn.l l>r. 

 tween the fore-finger and thumb of your left hand, with those of the right stroke 

 the fibres the contrary way to that which they naturally lie; and taking the 

 hook, and holding it as before, lay the point of the hackle ioto the bent of the 

 book, with the hollow (which is the palest) side upwards, and whip it very fast 

 to ita place : io doing whereof, be. mreful not to tie in many of the fibre* ; 

 or if you should chance to do so, pick them out with the point of a very large 

 oodle. 



When the hackle is thus made fast, the utmost care, and nicety i* necessary 

 in winding it on; for if you fail in this, your fly is spoiled, and you must begin 

 all again: to prevent which, keeping the hollow or pale side to your left hand, 

 and. as much as possible, the wide of the stem down oa the dunning, wind the 

 hackle twice round ; and holding fast what you have so wouud, pick out the loose 

 bres which you may have taken in. and make another turn ; then lay hold of 

 the hackle with the third and fourth fingers of your left hand, with wnich you 

 My extend it while you dien<;*gft the loose fibres as before. 



In this manner proceed till you come to within an eighth of an inch of the 

 eod of the shank, where you wi'l find ao end of silk ha clog; KI d t>y which 

 tiip* you will find the fibre* at the great end of the hackle something discom- 

 posed ; clip these off close to the stem, and with the end of your middle finger 

 press the stem close to the book, while, with the fore-finger of your right hxnd, 

 you turn the silk into a loop ; which, when you have twice put over the end of 

 the shank of the hook, loop and all, your work is safe. 



wax that end of the silk which you now used, and turn it over as 



