Hooks. 239 



snell to the eyed hook, which are shown in the accompany- 

 ing illustrations, and which explain themselves. The sim- 

 plest jam knot is as good or better than the more compli- 

 cated ones. 



C?^''^^^^ 



s^ 



TJ ' " - 



A needle-eyed hook has also been introduced by Warner 

 that has the eye formed near the end of the shank, much 

 the same as in a sewing needle. 



With the advent of the eyed hook came a change in the 

 system of numbering them styled the Kendal scale, which 

 is the reverse of the one heretofore universally used — the 

 Redditch scale. Concerning this the late Mr. S. Alcock 

 has this to say : 



" In Redditch we number from 1 to 20, the size becoming smaller 

 the higher the number, in the same way that the wire is numbered. 

 This is logical, for the finer the wire the more frequently must it 

 be drawn through the plates to reduce it. The sizes larger than 

 No. 1 we number 0, 00, 000, etc. This system has worked well for 

 centuries. 



" Now, however, a manufacturer employing a very few hands 

 chooses to number his hooks backward, 20 being a large size and 

 1 a smaller size ; those smaller than No. 1 he calls 0, 00, 000, etc. ; 

 and Mr. Pennell has written a book in which he adopts this num- 

 bering ; but the only reason given for this new system is that ' it 

 is sufiSciently elastic, allowing of extension either way,'" 



