THE LINE. 23 



well-timed stroke, the judicious playing of the fish, are 

 thrown away by the snapping of a piece of steel or the sud- 

 den parting of a fine line. 



FISHING LINES are made of an endless variety of sub- 

 stances, horse-hair, silk-worm gut, Indian grass or weed, 

 silk, hemp, cotton, either separately or mixed, from six 

 feet to one hundred yards long, and in fineness, from a 

 single horse-hair to a clothes-line. 



For bottom-fishing fine horse-hair or gut is used. The 

 latter is more common, because it can be obtained in greater 

 lengths, and of more uniform consistency, and of varied 

 strength and thickness. It is made from the ordinary 

 silk-worm, just at the stage of its existence when it is about 

 to spin the cocoon. This period is known by the cater- 

 pillar ceasing to eat, and it is then killed by being thrown 

 into boiling water. The body of the grub is divided 

 gently in the middle, and a greenish gelatinous gut is dis- 

 closed to view. This is the organ which secretes the silky 

 matter for spinning the cocoon. This gut-like substance is 

 taken by the extremities and extended slowly and gradu- 

 ally until the requisite length and thickness are obtained ; 

 the ends are then fastened to iron pins, fixed in a board the 

 proper length, and the air and sunshine left to dry and 

 consolidate the filmy substance. It is made of diflferein 

 degrees of tenuity, according to the purpose for which fr 

 is required, whether for salmon, trout, or roach fishin^. 

 The best quality is made in Spain ; but a great deal is 

 spoiled by a careless method of manufacture. Good gut 

 should be naturally round, thin, and transparent. I say 

 naturally, because there is in use a little machine, like a 

 wire-drawer's gauge, for reducing the diameter of gut and 

 rounding its flat and angular edges. This is useful to a 



