150 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



little birds and of speckled fowl : I say, having those with 

 him in a bag, and trying to make a fly, though he miss at 

 first, yet shall he at last hit it better, even to such a per- 



know that the sails of West country and other barges, when old, are usually 

 converted into tilts, under which there is almost a continual smoke 

 arising from the fire, and the steam of the beef-kettle, which all such 

 barges carry, and which in time dyes the tilt of a fine brown ; this would 

 be excellent dubbing, but that the material of these sails is sheep's wool, 

 which soaks in the water, and soon becomes very heavy : however, get of 

 this as many different shades as you can : and have seal's fur and hog-wool 

 dyed to match them, which, by reason they are more turgid, stiff, and 

 light, and so float better, are, in most cases, to be preferred to worsted, 

 crewels, and, indeed, to every other kind of wool, and observe that the 

 hog-wool is best for large, and the seal's fur for small flies. 



Get also furs of the following animals viz., the squirrel, particularly from 

 his tail ; fox-cub, from the tail where it is downy and of an ash-colour ; an 

 old fox ; an old otter ; otter cub ; badger, fulimart, or filmert ; a hair, 

 from the neck, where it is of the colour of withered fern ; and above all, the 

 yellow fur of the martern, from off the gills or spots under the jaws. All 

 these, and almost every other kind of fur, are easily got at the furrier's. 



Hackles are very important articles in fly-making : they are the long 

 slender feathers that hang from the head of a cock down his neck : there 

 may also be fine ones got from near his tail ; be careful that they are not 

 too rank, which they are when the fibres are more than half an inch long, 

 and for some purposes these are much too big ; be provided with these 

 of the following colours viz., red, dun, yellowish, white, orange, and 

 perfect black, and whenever you meet, alive or dead, with a cock of the 

 game breed, whose hackle is of a strong brown-red, never fail to buy him, 

 but observe that the feathers of a cock chicken, be they ever so fine for shape 

 and colour, are good for little ; for they are too downy and weak to stand 

 erect after they are once wet, and so are those of the Bantam-cock. 



Other Feathers are absolutely necessary for the wings and other parts 

 of flies : get, therefore, feathers from the back and other parts of the wild 

 mallard, or drake ; the feathers of a partridge, especially those red ones 

 that are in the tail ; feathers from a cock pheasant's breast and tail, the 

 wings of a black-bird, a brown hen, of a starling, a jay, a land-rail, a 

 throstle, a fieldfare, and a water-coot ; the feathers from the crown of the 

 pewit, plover, or lap-wing ; green and copper-coloured peacock's, and black 

 ostrich harle (the filaments of the long feathers) ; feathers from a heron's 

 neck and wings. And remember, that in most instances, where the drake's 

 or wild mallard's feather is hereafter [in the text] directed, that from a 

 starling's wing will do much better, as being of a finer grain and less spongy. 



Be provided with marking-silk of all colours, fine but very strong, 

 flaw silk ; gold and silver flatted wire, or twist ; a sharp knife ; hooks of 

 all sizes ; hog's bristles for loops to your flies ; shoemaker's wax ; a large 

 needle to raise your dubbing, when flatted with working ; and a small, but 

 sharp pair of scissors. 



Remember, With all your dubbing, to mix bear's hair and hog's wool, 



