CHAP. V.] THE FOTJBTn DAT. 149 



wings : and then with your thumb you must turn the point of 

 the feather towards the bent of the hook; and then work three 

 or four times about the shank of the hook ; and then view the 

 proportion ; and if all be neat, and to your liking, fasten. 



I confess, no direction can be given to make a man of a 

 dull capacity able to make a fly well : and yet I know, this, 

 with a little practice, will help an ingenious angler in a 

 good degree. But to see a fly made by an artist in that 

 kind, is the best teaching to make it. And, then, an 

 ingenious angler may walk by the river, and mark what flies 

 fall on the water that day; and catch one of them, if he sees 

 the trout leap at a fly of that kind and then (having 

 always hooks rea~dy hung with him) : and having a bag also 

 always with him ; with bear's hair, or the hair of a brown or 

 sad-coloured heifer ; hackles of a cock or capon ; several 

 coloured silk and crewel ; to make the body of the fly ; the 

 feathers of a drake's head ; black or brown sheep's wool, 

 or hog's wool, or hair ; thread of gold and of silver ; silk of 

 several colours, especially sad-coloured ; to make the fly's 

 head: and there be also other coloured feathers, 1 both 01 



1 The author not having particularly enumerated the materials necessary 

 for fly-making, it will not be improper, once for all, to do it here. And, 

 first, [for dubbing :] you must be provided with bear's hair of divers 

 colours : as grey, dun, light and dark-coloured, bright brown, and that 

 which shines : also camel's hair, dark, light, and of a colour between both: 

 badger's hair, or fur : spaniel's hair from behind the ear, light and dark 

 brown, blackish and black : hog's down, which may be had, about Christ- 

 mas, of butchers, or rather of those that make brawn, and it should be 

 plucked from under the throat, and other soft places of the hog, and 

 must be of the following colours viz., black, red, whitish, and sandy, and 

 for other colours, you may get them dyed at a dyer's : seal's fur is to be 

 had at the trunk-makers ; get this also dyed of the colours of cow's and 

 calf's hair, in all the different shades, from the light to the darkest brown ; 

 you will then never need cow's or calf's hair, both which are harsh, and 

 will never work kindly, nor lie handsomely ; get also mohairs black ; blue ; 

 purple ; white ; violet ; Isabella, which colour is described in a note on 

 Cotton's flies for March ; Philomot, fromfeuitte morte, a dead leaf; yellow ; 

 and orange : camlets, both hair and worsted, blue, yellow, dun, light, and 

 dark brown, red violet, purple, black, horse-flesh, pink, and orange 

 colours. Some recommend the hair of abortive colts and calves ; but seal's 

 fur, dyed as above, is much better. 



A piece of an old Turkey carpet will furnish excellent dubbing ; untwist 

 the yarn, and pick out the wool, carefully separating the different colours, 

 and lay it by. 



Some use for dubbing barge -sail : concerning which, the reader is to 



