406 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



silk is drawn through, and the superfluous wax wiped off by 

 drawing it between the thumb and finger. 



To TIE ON A HOOK. Hold the hook in your left hand 

 between the thumb and forefinger, with the shank uppermost, 

 and the head outward or towards your right, then take two 

 or three turns around the bare shank of the hook near the 

 head, and laying the gut-length on the back of the hook or 

 underneath, wrap down closely until the wrapping covers the 

 end of the gut, which in a short- shanked hook will be oppo- 

 site the point. Figure 1, on the annexed wood-cut, shows 



the position of the hook thus far. Then seizing the shank of 

 the hook and reversing it- that is, with the bend outwards 

 lay the silk along the shank with the end towards the wjist 

 of your left hand, as in figure 2, and forming a loop at the 

 bend of the hook, take the lower part of the slack, and con- 

 tinue the wrapping for three or four turns more, and holding 

 it securely, though not too tightly in its place, draw the slack 

 through and cut it off close, thus making what is by some 

 anglers termed the invisible knot. 



