Dyes for Hackle-staining. 137 



If your fly is not to be hackled up the whole length of 

 the body, and you use floss-silks instead of dubbing, dress 

 it in the same way until the body is formed, then put in 

 your hackle feather for the legs, round the shoulder-frill, 

 then tie on the wings and head, and the fly is dressed. 



Be sure, if you make your wings of various-coloured 

 feathers, to have them all ready arranged before you 

 begin to dress. 



I would recommend, as a very great improvement in 

 the form of the salmon fly-hook, that it should be made 

 with a loop at the end of the shank of the same wire as 

 the hook an arrangement which would obviate all chafing 

 of gut-loops as at present used, and be stronger. This 

 would not add anything to the weight, and the flies would 

 all have good and secure loops, so long as they lasted. It 

 might be made, too, rather of an oval form, standing 

 endways from the shank. The fly would thus look neater, 

 and the line would always draw truer from the hook. 



Dyes for staining Hackles, fyc. for the legs of Dun or 

 Bloa Flies. 



Pale yellow dun or bloa. Having washed your fea- 

 thers in a warm solution of soap and soda, to get the 

 grease out, steep them in a hot mordant of alum and 

 water, until they are thoroughly saturated; then put 

 them into a dye of sumach, rather strong, and add a very 

 little bit of copperas, about the size of a pea. Or, after 

 the feathers are dyed in the sumach, you can put them 

 into another vessel with a little bit of copperas. Always 

 try one or two feathers first. 



Pale smoky dun or bloa. Having prepared your fea- 

 thers, as in the last, dye them very lightly with sumach, 

 using a very little bit of copperas. 



Smoky dun or bloa. Prepare your feathers as before, 



