SOME MORE FLY DRESSING 127 



encouraging trial on a Hampshire brook, suggests a varia- 

 tion of this method, which has the effect of overcoming 

 the difficulty present in my conception of judging the 

 length of fibre to be left out in order to get the legs of the 

 right length, and the variation has the added merit of 

 making the legs stand out on each side in the most satis- 

 factory way. Its defect is that it does not lend itself to 

 nymphs tied with a gold or silver ribbing, as it has to be 

 finished with an invisible whip finish in the middle of the body, 

 just behind the wing cases. This is the process (Plate III.) : 



Placing your hook in the vice, take two turns near the 

 eye, tie down your bunch of fibres, which are to represent 

 legs and wing cases, with the points towards the tail, with 

 one firm turn, then bring the silk under the points close 

 up against the last turn and pull taut. Now press back 

 the points firmly. They can be divided a little later. 

 Spin your seal's-fur dubbing on the silk in just sufficient 

 quantity to represent the thorax, and wind it on. Then 

 bring over the waste ends, which were pointing over the 

 head, so that they point over the tail, dividing the points, 

 which are to represent the legs, in equal portions to right 

 and left. Tie down the fibres with two turns, and break 

 them off, either singly or in groups. Whip to the tail, 

 tie in the whisks as before, roll on more dubbing, whip 

 to the wing cases, clear the silk, and finish close up to the 

 wing cases with a close, hard whip finish, into which a 

 drop of celluloid varnish has been introduced, by placing 

 it on the loop of the tying silk as it is being drawn taut. 



Both these methods of dressing are carried out with the 

 same coloured material for leg and wing cases, but there is 

 no difficulty about using two feathers of differing colours 

 in much the same way. Begin by taking a couple of turns 

 of silk near the eye, then lay your leg fibres along the hook, 

 with the tips towards the tail, take one turn over them, 



