262 
(Feb. 15, 1908. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
HIS LUCKY DAY. 
Reproduced from an old print in the collection of Russell W. Woodward. 
through the zinc plates by these holes, so as to 
fasten them down one on each side of the plate, 
and securely knot the fastenings. This will 
give eight loops of elastic braid on each side of 
the plate of metal, and the area of any one 
“page” of the book will carry (according to 
these rough diagrams) fifty-six elastic compart¬ 
ments, to be used as after mentioned; but first 
let us deal with the bulkier articles used, as vice, 
scissors, hackle pliers, etc. One of the outer 
frame compartments might be used for this 
purpose, but, practically, I find they go in very 
comfortably between two of the ordinary frames. 
Hooks and large feathers (too large to go 
into the elastic compartments) are kept in card 
boxes (see diagram No. 8). These can be made 
of any size to suit the requirements of various 
tastes. The hook boxes can be divided into 
small compartments, or can be left open to 
carry the hooks in manufacturers’ packets as 
purchased. 
Now, the whole convenience of this system 
depends on the way that hackles, and all small 
feathers, are carried, and instead of adopting 
any system of inclosures in envelopes, every 
set of hackles, or feathers, is put into a sort of 
“fringe” of gummed paper, folded up neatly in 
this way AA A to about the width of one of the 
elastic band compartments, and tucked under the 
band in a compact little parcel, leaving the 
feathers visible outside. 
The method looks more serious and trouble¬ 
some to carry out than it is in reality, but a 
set of hackles or feathers (off any one bird) 
when “fringed” (as after mentioned) is a per¬ 
manency. They are never blowing about loose¬ 
ly or get lost, and they make no litter and mess 
on the table. 
The plan of “fringing” is done thus: Take a 
slip of thin, tough paper iy 2 in. wide (as long as 
you like). Fold it once down the middle, each 
half being wide. Gum it with ordinary 
gum-arabic along one side only, bout half the 
depth of the and allow it to dry. You 
can keep a stock of these slips for use at any 
time when meeting with a good.^'neck” of 
hackles. 
To mount the hackles proceed thus: FLaving 
cleaned off all the fluff from base of feathers, • 
leaving the stems clear, take a length of the 
gummed paper and open it out flat in front of 
you (on a sheet of blotting paper is very con¬ 
venient), pass a brush of thin gum over the part 
already gummed before, and with a pair of 
scissors snip the ungummed side into lengths 
of, say, 1 in. 
Take a pair of forceps, and with them pick 
up a hackle by the feather part, and lay the 
stem (face surface downward) upon the gummed 
surface A (diagram No. 9), and as soon as the 
space equal to B C is occupied lift up the flap 
of naper B C and press it down on the gummed 
part, inclosing the hackle (or feather) stems 
only; be careful not to snip the paper B beyond 
the medium line (dotted in diagram), or it may 
weaken the “fringe” when completed for fold¬ 
ing up. 
Go on placing feathers and fastening them in 
until you have all done, and note that it is a 
convenience to begin with the larger hackles 
first, picking them up in rotation, so that when 
the “fringe” is completed, and dried, all the big¬ 
ger hackles are at one end of the strip, and 
taper off to the smaller ones at the other end, 
because when selecting a hackle to put on a fly 
you have only to open up the “fringe” between 
the fingers, and you see every hackle singly at 
a glance, as the eye runs along the “fringe” for 
the proper size and condition. There will be 
no loose ones to fly about and make a mess. 
You find the one you like, strip it out of the 
fringe and use it, refold the fringe and tuck it 
under its band of elastic, and it will be there 
safely until again wanted. 
I think it will be seen that with three or four 
pages of the case containing rows of hackles 
(or feathers) arranged in these fringes, you 
can see at a glance exactly what you want, and 
take it out and put it back, without touching 
anything else. 
Diagram No. 10 shows the system, but each 
feather there represents a folded packet of many 
dozens. 
Now to deal with the medium-sized feathers 
used for winging small trout flies, such as old 
and young starling, hen blackbird, etc. These 
are too large for fringing, and I keep them it 
parchment envelopes made to fit into one o 
the pages. They are docketed at ends (Nos 
1, 2, 3, and 4 in diagram No. 11 represent thi 
full length of envelopes), those above slip into 
bands behind them. 
Silks can be kept on reels, if desired, or, a 
occupying a flatter position of storage, pu 
into a “string-case” (made of parchment), th> 
“leaf” which this forms being kept of such di 
mensions as to lie comfortably within th 
boundary of the inner edges of two leaves. 
We now have the “book” complete. It cai 
be either folded flat and slid into a thin tin box 
with a cover over it to keep out moths, or (a 
in my own case) have it covered with goot 
saddler’s brown leather, with a couple of short 
buckled straps to hold the opening edges to 
gether (and when not in general use one fa irk 
strong strap to go round it), and bind the fla 
sides of the. frames closely together. If the; 
fit nicely, no moth can get inside. If no 
thought too extravagant, a covering of stou 
Russia leather would be good, because moths 
etc., dislike the scent of it, and would keej- 
aloof. 
The size of my own box is by nin 
outside the frame edges (nominally 14m. b; 
nin.), and there are six such frames hinged to 
gether, exclusive of the outside ones (whicl 
are fitted with card boxes for books, etc.). Th< 
other four frames carry all the tools required- 
eighty bundles of hackles and other smal 
feathers, and seventy-two larger ones, thirty 
two packet envelopes of wing feathers. A 1 
necessary silks in a parchment “string-case.” 
For dubbings (mohair, pigs’ wool, etc.) then 
is a separate leaf made of parchment, stitche* 
across in squares. It fits in between two 0 
the metal leaves, in a similar way to the silk’ 
string-case. Two sheets of parchment ar 
stitched as shown by dotted lines (diagram Nc 
12); in the center of each square in an apertur 
cut out on one side only. The “dubbings” an 
stuffed into the squares to hold as much as con 
venient, and the colors and nature of the ma, 
terial show themselves at the holes, and con' 
sist mainly of dyed pigs’ wool, mohair, an< 
similar coarse fibres, as the finer furs, hare’s ea 
and face, water-rat, and mole fur, are kept (ii 
their skins) in one of the flat card boxes f 
outer frames. I think I have stated every par 
ticular, and I consider the system unique, r 
that by simply turning over any leaf or pag 
you see at a glance all you require, and have m 
need to refer to tabs or labels to find wha 
you want. 
Henry Mann, of Salem, Ore., recently sho 
and killed an animal that has long been puzzlin 
hunters north of the Upper Klamath Lake i 
southern Oregon. For the past seven year 
tracks have been found in the country aroun 
the Big springs, on the Klamath Indian reser 
vation, that were supposed to be those of a bi 
buck. The tracks were of a peculiar characte 
and easily distinguished from other tracks. 
When shot the animal proved to be a sort c 
boar. The carcass weighs over 500 pounds an 
has tusks ten inches long. The hair is Ion 
and coarse and the skin around the head tluc 
and wrinkled. The tail is long and bushy, re 
sembling a cow’s tail. The skin, when take 
from the animal weighed no pounds. 
