Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

Mr. GAY has beautifully described the substances with which Flies are formed.

"To frame the little Animal provide

All the gay hues that wait on female pride;
Let Nature guide thee, sometimes golden wire
The shining bellies of the fly require.

The peacock's plumes thy tackle must not fail,
Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail.
Each gaudy bird some slender tribute brings,
And lends the growing Insect proper wings.
Silks of all colours must their aid impart,
And ev'ry fur promote the fisher's art.
So the gay Lady, with expensive care,
Borrows the pride of land, of sea, of air;

Furs, pearls, and plumes, the glitt'ring thing displays,
Dazzle our eyes, and easy hearts betrays."

WALTON enumerates the Materials for fly-making, and also recommends how to keep them unmixed, and ready for the Angler, in the following manner :

Take a piece of fine grained Parchment, of seven inches by nine, and so fold it that the size and proportion will be that of a small Octavo; then open, and through the first leaf, with a sharp penknife and ruler, make three cross cuts, and with silk stitch the two leaves together, as in the Engraving; leaving the margin half an inch at least.

Take the distance from A to B with a pair of compasses, and set in the middle of a small piece of parchment, cutting off at each extremity what is to spare, and observing that the sides are quite parallel; set on the distance from A to C, and act as before, leaving the middle division an inch longer at bottom than the others; it will then be in the shape of figure 2; the whole work must be square; turn in the sides and ends of the cut parchment, and fold them close, and there will be a pocket shaped as No. 3, which is to be put in the first partition. Pursue the same method with the small pockets, and those for the other partitions, until

VOL. II.

GG

six leaves are completed, which compose the first of the book; the larger pockets are to hold the coarse, the smaller the finer furs: a hole may be punched in each, which will shew what the pockets contain.

The next leaf may be single; stitch it with double silk, cross these stitches with others, and the spaces will be lozenge-shaped; let the stitches be half an inch in length; into these the dubbing, when mixed ready for use, is to be tucked.

The following leaf should be doubled, sewed with a margin as the others; through the first fold cut a lozenge; into this may be put a wing of the starling, land-rail, thrush, &c.; at the back of this leaf sew, very strongly, two parchment straps, half an inch wide, to hold a sharp pair of Scissars.

On another single leaf four or five cross bars of long stitches, as well on the back as fore-side, may be made to hold large feathers from the cock pheasant's tail, a ruddy brown hen, &c. The next three leaves should be doubled, stitched through the middle from side to side; with the compasses make a circle an inch and half diameter, cut out the interior parchment of the circle: under some of the margins, when the leaves are sewed together, may be tucked peacock's and Ostrich herl; in others lay smoothly the golden feathers of the Pheasant's breast, and the grey and dyed yellow mail of a Mallard.

Three double leaves should be made with only two large pockets in each; those may be allotted for silk of various colours, gold and silver twist, &c.; six single leaves more will complete the book; stitch them from side to side at half inch distances, and cross those stitches with others from top to bottom rather wider, and into every other space (reckoning from top to bottom) lay neatly a Starling's feather; the other leaves may be filled with land-rails, and other small feathers, with red and black hackles.

The first and last leaves may be double, and so sewed, as to make pockets similar to the common pocket-books; into these, hooks, a piece of war wrapped in leather, &c. may be put. To that page containing the mixed dubbings there should be an index, referring to every division, and expressing what fly such mixture is adapted for. When thus prepared let the Binder make it up as strong as possible, and either to tie, or fasten with a clasp. The

conveniences of such a book are vastly preferable to any magazine bag; and for its contents WALTON selects, as essential, Bear's hair, grey, dun, light, dark coloured, bright brown, and that which shines. Camel's, dark, light, and of a colour between both. Badger's and Spaniel's hair from behind the ear, light, dark brown, tawny, and black.

Hog's down, which may be had, about Christmas, of Butchers, or rather of those that make Brawn; it should be plucked from under the throat, and other soft places of the Hog, and must be of the following colours: viz. black, red, whitish, and sandy; and for other colours you may get them dyed. Seal's Fur is to be had at the Trunkmakers; get this also dyed in all the different shades of Cow's and Calves' Hair; you will then never need either, both are harsh, and never work kindly, nor lay handsomely; get also Mohairs, black, blue, purple, white, violet, dull buff; a dead leaf, yellow and orange; Camlets, (both hair and worsted,) blue, yellow, dun, light and dark brown, red, violet, purple, black, horseflesh, pink, and orange Colours.

A piece of an old Turkey Carpet will furnish excellent Dubbing: untwist the Yarn, and pick out the Wool, carefully separating the different colours.

Some use for Dubbing Barge Sail, which, when old, is usually converted into Tilts: underneath them there is almost a continual smoke arising from the fire and the steam of the Beef-kettle; which in time dyes the tilt of a fine brown: this would be excellent Dubbing, but that these sails are made of Sheeps' wool, which soaks in the water, and soon becomes very heavy; however, get of this as many different Shades as you can, and have Seal's Fur and Hog's Wool dyed to match them; which, from being more stiff and light, float better, and are in most cases to be preferred to Worsted, Crewels, and, indeed, to every other kind of Wool. Observe, that the Hog Wool is best for large, and the Seal's Fur for small, flies.

Get also Furs of the following animals: viz. the Squirrel, particularly from his tail; Fox-cub, from the tail where it is downy, and of an ash-colour; an old Fox, an old Otter, Otter-cub, Badger, Fulimart; a Hare, from the neck, where it is of the colour of withered Fern; and, above all, the yellow Fur of the Martern, from

off the gills or spots under the Jaws. All these, and almost every other kind, are easily got at the Furrier's.

Hackles are a very important article in Fly-making; they are the long slender feathers that hang from the head of a Cock down his neck; there may also be fine ones got from near his tail: be careful that they are not too rank, which they are when the fibres are more than half an inch long, and for some purposes These are much too big. Be provided with these of the following colours: viz. red, dun, yellowish, white, orange, perfect black, and strong brown red. Observe, that the feathers of a Cock-chicken, be they ever so fine for shape and colour, are good for little, for they are too downy to stand erect after they are once wet; and so are those of the Bantam Cock.

Feathers are absolutely necessary for the wings, &c. of flies; get therefore those from the back and other parts of the wild Mallard, of a Partridge, especially those red ones that are in the tail; from a Cock Pheasant's breast and tail; the wings of a Blackbird, Brown Hen, Starling, Jay, Land-Rail, Woodcock, Throstle, Fieldfare, and Water-Coot; from the crown of the Lapwing; green and copper-coloured Peacock's and black Ostrich Herl; Feathers from a Heron's neck and wings: and remember, that in most instances where the Mallard's Feather is directed, that from a Starling's wing will answer better, being of a finer grain, and less spongy.

Be provided with marking silk of all colours; fine, but very strong, floss silk; gold and silver flatted wire and twist; a sharp knife, hooks of all sizes, Hog's bristles for loops to flies, shoemaker's wax; a large needle to raise the dubbing when pressed close by working, and a small pair of Scissars. Remember with all dubbing to mix Bear's hair and Hog's Wool, which will not imbibe Water, as the fine furs and most other dubbings do; and keep in mind that Martern's fur is the best yellow. Should the Angler find any superior Articles to the aforementioned, he should be careful to make such Additions to his Stock.

WALTON proceeds with instructions for making a Fly, (neither Hackle nor Palmer-fly,) which will be noticed afterwards.

« PreviousContinue »