38 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



may be made by dissolving a little lapis infernalis in water, mixing 

 flowers of sulphur with it, and heating in a Florence flask. I believe 

 quicklime in boiling water will also dissolve sulphur. 



As I have not thoroughly tested either of these processes, 

 and am rather disheartened by the ' modified successes ' of my 

 original experiments, I have of late years taken to the use of 

 ' Brunswick black ' (such as is used for japanning iron, blacking 

 fire grates, &c.), applying it with a small hard brush to the 

 gimp just before use. It dries in a few minutes, and, I think, 

 for all practical purposes, quite sufficiently removes the objec- 

 tionable glitter. It can be renewed as often as needful, and 

 instead of destroying, I am satisfied that this method of staining 

 tends to the preserving of the strength of the gimp. The 

 smallest of phials of the Brunswick black carried in the pocket 

 or in the troUing-case will suffice for many days' needs. 



Premising that gimp is far from having the same durability 

 as gut, and that gimp tackle which has been already often in 

 use becomes generally more or less rotten and unsafe to fish 

 with, it may be said that really good gimp can hardly be used 

 too fine. It would appear, in fact, as if the best workmanship 

 and the best silk were reserved for the finer numbers, as they 

 are decidedly stronger in proportion than the large sizes. 



One word as to the dressing of gimp tackle. All tackle- 

 makers, whether amateur or professional, find that there is a 

 greater difficulty in whipping hooks on to gimp than on to gut 

 — whipping them, I mean, so as to effectually preclude any 

 possibility of their coming off. This is, of course, owing 

 primarily to the fact that the waxed silk only comes in con- 

 tact with the exterior coils or covering of wire, and not with 

 the strand of silk itself. The result is that occasionally the 

 furthest end of the wire coil becomes loosened from the silk, 

 the lapping being then held only by the compression of the 

 waxed silk upon the coiled wire of the remaining one half or 

 two thirds, and a sudden wrench is very apt to divorce them 

 finally. To avoid this result it will be found best to pull off 

 (or untwist) the wire from about one third the length of the 



