28 SALMON AND TROUT. 



at the end of the hne : it is too thick, or too thin ; 

 too dark, or too hght. From this results a linear 

 disfigurement, or an inharmoniousness of tint (or 

 both), at the very point where a perfect taper and 

 complete uniformity of colour are of vital con- 

 sequence. 



These are some of the most salient defects of the system, 

 almost universally adopted until the last few years, of lapping 

 on hooks and flies to separate strands of gut. Of minor, but 

 still serious drawbacks, must be reckoned the difficulty of 

 carrying about a sufficient supply of ' gut hooks ' — or still more 

 of flies — of all needful sizes, and the destructive effects of time 

 upon the contents of the 'store box.' Apart from 'moth,' this 

 happens partly owing to the ' rotting ' of the gut at the point 

 of contact with the steel hook shank, and partly to the desicca- 

 tion (drying up) of the wax on the lapping by which the gut is 

 attached. 



And all these defects — defects inherent in the principle of 

 lapped-on hooks, and which cannot be gainsaid — are at once 

 overcome by the new eyed-hook system. 



It is to that system, then, to which I refer when I say that 

 by it all the disadvantages attaching either to the artificial fly 

 or plain hook lapped on separate strands of gut are entirely got 

 rid of. 



By knotting on the fly or hook direct to the main line 

 ('gut-trace,' 'collar,' 'casting-line,' 'bottom-line,' 'foot-line') 

 the fly or hook that has become worn at the head can be 

 removed, and in a few seconds re-attached to the same already 

 well-soaked, well-tapered, and evenly tinted line ; thereafter 

 remaining as serviceable as ever. 



The minor drawbacks alluded to of the old system are also 

 obviated by the new, as the necessary selection of flies and 

 hooks can be kept in stock for years without any fear of 

 deterioration. The economy in the matter of space, both in 

 the stock-box and fly-book, is, moreover, considerable. As 



