AMERICAN TROUT-STREAM INSECTS 



feathers, viz. : to buy them, and to beg them. The 

 former is easier and quicker ; but the latter, though 

 slow, is far more interesting, because it is a himt or 

 quest, which is always interesting in many ways. 

 You can "buttonhole" every poultry-man, hunter, 

 furrier, and taxidermist of your acquaintance for 

 assistance; and in that way you are more likely to 

 get choice varieties and colors not available in the 

 market at any price. 



Get the hackles on the skin, if you can ; for they 

 are then bimched together and are more handy to 

 use, and you can keep them better in stock. If you 

 cannot get them on the skin, tie each variety in 

 bimches, and keep them in glass jars, where they 

 are quite secure from moths. If you are a smoker, 

 you can use the pound glass tobacco jars (with 

 covers), which are just the thing for the pur- 

 pose. 



Mr. Halford advises — and many fly-makers fol- 

 low this method — that you trim off all the hackle 

 and wing feathers, by stripping off the downy por- 

 tions. This is for a dual purpose: first, moths go 

 for the downy portion in preference to the feather; 

 second, your feather and hackle are always ready 

 for use to select from. 



Personally, I do not agree. I have found out, 

 after tying a hundred new patterns, that the lower 

 parts of hackles are most useful for the long legs 

 of spinners, and the lower parts of wing feathers 



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