attempts to make flies, and afterwards give hin. the best instructions for making them.

The directions which I have given the angler respecting his rods and lines, are the best I believe now extant; however, I would advise every young angler to make a purchase of his first tackle at the London shops; he will there get rods and other tackle in the highest perfection, and neatness, which he should always be careful to keep in good order; and to never regard what bunglers and slovens tell him; but believe neatness in his tackle, and a nice and curious hand in all his work (particularly in fly-making) to be absolutely necessary.

CHAP. II.

A List of the Materials necessary for an Angler to have, and the best method to make the Palmer and May-fly

HOG'S DOWN,

COMBED from the roots of the bristles of black, red, whitish, and sandy-coloured hogs; the white down you may have dyed to any colour you like. It is excellent dubbing, because it will stand the water and shines well. To be a competent judge of the real colour of any dubbing, you must hold it between the sun and your eyes. This is a standing rule when you imitate a fly.

CAMEL'S HAIR,

Of a dark and light colour, and one in the medium of both.

BADGER'S HAIR;

The brown soft fur which is on the skin, and the blackest.

BEAR'S HAIR,

Gray, dun, light, and dark coloured, bright brown, and shining brown.

SPANIEL'S HAIR,

From the different parts of a spaniel, especially from behind the ear, brown, dark brown, light brown, and black.

SHEEP'S WOOL,

Of all colours, both natural and artificial; you may have it dyed to any colour.

SEAL'S FUR,

To be had at the trunk-makers'; get it dyed from the lightest to the darkest brown, and you will find it much better dubbing than cow or calves' hair.

MOHAIRS,

Of all colours, black, blue, purple, white, violet, yellow, and tawney, philomot, from feuille morte,

a deaf leaf; and Isabella, which is a whitish yellow, or soiled buff-colour.

COW'S HAIR,

The softest you can get from a black, brinded, and red cow; and of these colours, have brown, dark brown, light brown, and black.

COLT'S OR CALF'S HAIR,

These afford very good dubbing, and a variety, especially those hides that have been tewed, or dressed in a skinner's lime-pit; but, as I said before, seal's fur dyed is much better than either. cow's or either of the hairs of these two; because it is not so harsh, and does not require so much trouble to work on the hook; and observe further, that this fur is for small flies, and hog's down for large ones.

CAMLETS,

Both hair and worsted of all colours, blue, yellow, dun, brown, dark brown, light brown, red violet, purple, black, hore-flesh, pink, and orange.

FURS,

Off the squirrel, especially his tail; a hare, the part off the neck which is a whithered fern colour; foxcub from the tail where it is downy and of an ash colour; an old for and old otter, ottercub, futimart, or filmert: a mole, a black cat's tail; a house-mouse, and water-rat; a marten, particularly from off the gills, or spots under the jaws,

which is of a fine yellow. These are all to be had at the furriers.

HACKLES,

These are the feathers that hang from the head of a cock, down his neck, and likewise near his tail, they are particularly used in making the palmer fly; get the following colours of them, viz. red, dun, yellowish, white, orange, and black; let not the fibres of them be above half an inch long. Whenever you meet with a cock, whose hackle is of a strong brown red, buy him, and make the most of the hackles. Note, the feathers of a bantam or cock-chick, are good for nothing.

FEATHERS.

;

To make the wings of artificial flies, &c. it is necessary to be provided with all kinds of feathers; procure therefore those from the back, and other parts of the wild mallard or drake; of a partridge, particularly the red ones in the tail those of a cock-pheasant's breast and tail; also the wings of a stare or starling, jay, lund-rail, blackbird, throsle, fieldfare, water-coot, and a brown hen; likewise the top, or cop, of a pevit, plover, or lap-wing, peacock's herl, green, copper-coloured, and white, also black ostrich's herl, and feathers from the neck and wings of a heron. Observe, that in many instances hereafter that you will meet with, where the mallard's feather is set down for the wings of an artificial fly, that the starling will be preferable, because it is of finer grain, and will not imbibe the water se much.

CARPETS AND BLANKETS.

There is very good dubbing to be got from blankets, also from an old Turkey carpet; untwist the yarn, and pick out the wool, then separate the colours, wrap them up in different papers, and lay them by.

SILKS, &C.

In this drawer, which is the last, keep small, though strong silk of all colours, wrapt on little reels; also raw silk, gold and silver flutted wire, or twist; hooks in small chip boxes, with the number of the size of each marked on the outside : wax of all colours, and needles; a sharp penknife, and a small sharp pair of scissars, made quite angular, with large bows for the fingers.

N. B. When you make the palmer-fly suit the colour of the silk to the hackle you dub with; a dun hackle requires yellow silk; a black hackle, sky-blue silk; a brown, or red hackle, red silk when you make flies that are not palmers, dub with silk that resembles the colour most predo minent in the fly; and in making your flies, remember to mix bear's hair and hog's down, with your other dubbing, because they repel the wa ter; make your flies always in hot sun-shiny weather, for your waxed silk will then draw kindly; and when you take the dubbing to imitate a fly, always wet it, and then you will be perfect in your imitation; for although the dub-. bing when dry may suit, yet when it is wet itmay be quite another colour. Marten's fur is the best yellow you can use.