Chapt. vii. How to tie a salmon fly. 103 



6. Wings. — Mallard. 



Body. — Dark sable coloured silk, ribbed with gold 

 tinsel, with a red hackle interwoven all the way up the 

 body. 



Tail. — Yellow floss silk. 



7. Wings. — Guinea-fowls' feathers, with scarlet hackle 

 at the head, and extending beyond the wing a little. 



Body. — Black silk with silver tinsel. 



8. Wings. — Mottled feathers of peacock's wings. 

 Body. — Any black feather with silver twist, to be 



well tied. 



Tail. — Eed worsted. 



9. Body. — Yellow worsted or floss silk (tied very fine). 

 Wings. — Dark mallard. 



"The last four flies can be tied on hook No. 6, as they 

 "are for use when the river is still, clear, and low. I have 

 "found all the above-mentioned flies very killing, much 

 "more so than very gaudy salmon flies, which I tried at 

 "first, but without much success." 



For the benefit of those that are newly compelled in 

 India to tie their own flies, I may mention that the hook 

 of all salmon or Mahseer flies will of course be tied, not 

 on single gut as in the case of a trout fly, but on stout 

 salmon gut doubled so as to leave at the head a short 

 loop, between a quarter and an eighth of an inch in length. 

 The object of this is to give the gut stiffness, to prevent 

 it from constantly doubling under the weight of the hook, 

 and thus fraying, and eventually giving way, close up to 

 the hook. The precaution is necessary in the case of 



