a direct line with the rings, and at a greater or less distance from the butt end as may be required to balance the rod; generally, from three to six inches will be found the proper distance. There are two principal methods of fastening the reel. One requires a hoop of brass at the back of the reel, to encircle the butt, and is kept tight by a screw. The other, in place of a hoop, has a plate of brass to fit into a groove which must be cut to receive it in the butt; two light circlets of brass, or leather, drawn tightly over the plate, keep the reel firm. The first is by far the preferable method, as it admits of the easy shifting of the reel for the proper balancing of the rod. The price of such a reel as that which we have described (if of the best workmanship) is about five shillings. THE COLLAR. The lowermost part of the line, when fitted up for actual use by the river's side, we mean the part to which the flies are attached, — is called in - the West of England the collar, and in other parts of the country the foot-line, casting-line, and gut-link. It is composed of a series of lengths of silkworm gut, which should be of good quality, and not, as is often the case, of the coarsest and worst. Its length must depend upon the power of the rod and the degree of tapering of the line with which it is to be used. Indeed, the wrist of the angler, and his rod, line, and collar, must always be regarded as parts of one machine, and be adapted to each other with almost mathematical exactness; otherwise, pleasant fishing will be out of the question. Very little practice will prove that correct casting depends a great deal upon the proper proportion of collar. When the line, instead of going out smartly and straight, bags, and falls loosely upon the water, it is by reason of the smaller extremity being too much of one uniform size-a defect easily removed by shortening the collar, and, if need be, the fine part of the line also. There will occur few cases in which more than four yards or less than two yards of gut will be required; but on this point, in common with many others of our subject, so much must be left to the exercise of the sportsman's own judgment, that only a broad rule can be laid down. In making a collar, care should be taken to match the lengths of gut with each other, that the whole may taper uniformly. Two stout pieces are first to be tied together, then two of the next size smaller, and so on, gradually lessening to the bottom end, the last yard of which should be fine and round. The front fly, or stretcher, as it is called (in contradistinction to the other flies, which are called droppers), must be fastened at the extremity with the same kind of knot as that employed for joining the lengths of gut which form the collar, and it should never, on any account, be looped on-for loops at the point, besides being clumsy, streak the water in fishing. The best knot for the purpose is called the old angler's or the slide knot, which, though so simple as to be learned on witnessing a single performance of the operation, is somewhat difficult to describe. We will, however, make the attempt: -One end of each of the two pieces of gut required to be united is held in each hand, between the forefinger and thumb, and projecting two inches beyond their tips. The end thus projecting in the right hand is then placed side by side with that in the left hand, both being then held between the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the latter, one pointing to the right, and the other to the left. Holding the two in this position, take with the right hand the end pointing to the right, and turn it over the other piece of gut in the form of a ring, bringing the end through, and drawing tight the knot thus made,—a common knot, in fact. Then reverse the gut in the left hand, and tie the other end in the same manner. Draw the two knots together tightly, and they will run neatly together into one. Cut off the superfluous ends, and you will have one of the firmest and most desirable knots in the world, matrimony alone excepted. If but a single dropper be fished with (and we advise no more) it should be placed about half a yard down the collar, measuring from the junction of the latter with the line or point; and when more than two flies are used, the distance between each should be equal. As to the mode of attaching the drop-fly, we recommend the old-fashioned way of looping-provided always that it be neatly done-in preference to the more modern plan of inserting the gut within one of the slide knots of the collar. Many anglers are in the habit of using even more than three flies-a practice which we by no means uphold. In summer, when the weeds are usually high, we dispense entirely with a dropper, and use only a single fly, at the point. To this custom we owe the preservation of many a collar and fly, much freedom from entanglement of line and breaking of rod, and, above all, frequent captures of many a yellow-sided spanker, whose retreat, by reason of densely surrounding weeds, was inaccessible to all collars carrying more than a single temptation. That the drop-flies, when used, may not easily become twisted about the collar, they should be tied to stout and very stiff gut, not longer than two inches for the first and three inches for the second. Instead of connecting the line or point and collar with loops, as is very commonly done, we have long used a neater and more expeditious method. At the end of the line or point we fasten a piece of strong gut, to which the collar. may be attached by a slide-knot, and the disunion may be instantly effected by the application of a knife or the teeth. With care, a long piece of gut will afford a great many tyings, and when it is all used, a new piece can be easily supplied. At the conclusion of fishing the collar should be evenly coiled over the distended fingers, and deposited in the pocket of the fly-book. We need hardly say that it ought never to be wound with the line upon the reel. GUT, one of the most useful articles in the angler's catalogue, is manufactured from the entrails of |