HORSE-HAIR LINES, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM. 71 



Twist half your links from left to right, the other from right 

 to left, and when knotting them together, be careful to join 

 those of a different twist, for the opposite action of the links 

 will prevent fouling ; to make sure of this, tie them up in 

 separate parcels, and label them right and left. In making up 

 these lines, take a link from each parcel alternately. I have 

 dwelt strongly upon this point, as on the careful application of 

 the principle of alternate twist, the useful working of these lines 

 entirely depends, for in this respect they differ from all others. 



As the hooks of these twisting machines are sometimes 

 rather widely placed apart, it often entails a loss of two inches 

 on each link, to avoid which take three pieces of thin brass 

 wire, and making an eye at one end turn the other into a hook 

 one inch deep in the bend, passing the eyes over the hooks 

 of the machine, fasten your hair to them, for they will draw 

 together as the hair twists up and prevent waste of material. 

 By having the tail end of the hair towards you, you will use the 

 longest first, shortening in regular succession, and thus put 

 the hair to the best advantage. When the tail is reduced to a 

 foot in length, it is no longer considered worth twisting. Some 

 fishermen prefer the lines two stranded only, which practically 

 are equally as good as three-stranded lines ; supposing both 

 well made I canriot see that either has the advantage of the 

 other. 



Black hair is in use for the greater part of the line, twenty- 

 two fathoms in length, at the end of which 9 feet of white is 

 attached, the black of two or three strands, of ten or twelve 

 hairs in a strand in the case of three, but of fifteen or eighteen 

 in the case of two strands, the white as forming the greater part 

 of the snood of three hairs less, in order to make it a little finer ; 

 whilst for sinkers leads of the shape of a piece of tobacco-pipe, 

 a little barrelled in the middle, half an ounce or more in weight, 

 are placed at every two fathoms, and are of course kept from 

 slipping up or down by the knots which occur in the line. 



To the end of the white hair is fastened a yard of white 

 snooding, and to this two lengths of double twisted Salmon gut 

 with the hook. The line thus comprises in all twenty-two 

 fathoms of black hair, with the pipe-leads, to be threaded on 



