64 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



of their superior temper, are better adapted to tying flies on, 

 than for bait-hooks. 



The O'Shaughnessy differs materially from the common 

 Limerick, in the shape of the bend, and in the direction 

 of its point, which sets out at a slight angle from the 

 shank ; it is much surer of hooking than the old Limerick, 

 and is preferred by all anglers who tie their own flies. 

 Salmon hooks of this shape, some of which are hammered 

 after being bent, are highly esteemed by Salmon fishers. 

 Trout hooks of the O'Shaughnessy shape, are sometimes made 

 of very fine wire, lightness being a desideratum in artificial 

 flies, particularly in droppers. 



The Limerick hook, as its name implies, as well as the 

 O'Shaughnessy, which bears the name of its original maker, 

 were made first in Limerick, Ireland. They have since been 

 imitated and made at a much lower price in England, 

 where most of the hooks known by these names are now 

 manufactured ; they are not as well tempered, though, as the 

 Irish hooks. 



The " Sneck bend" is much used by fly-fishers in Scotland, 

 though I have failed to discover its merits. The peculiarity 

 of this hook consists in its bend, which assumes more the 

 form of the three sides of a square than a continuous curve. 

 I have never heard or read of any plausible reason for its 

 shape. 



The "Virginia hook," it is said, was first made by a black- 

 smith named Rivere, in the lower part of Virginia, and at 

 one time was held in much esteem by bait fishermen, on 

 account of its strength and supposed adaptability to fish of all 

 .sizes. Its peculiarity consists in its shape and the tapering 

 of the steel from the top of the shank to the bend. I have 

 reason for doubts as to the person and place of its invention. 



