the silkworm, and the chief supply is derived from Spain and Italy. The process of manufacture, which is very curious, is fully described in Mr. Blaine's “Encyclopædia of Rural Sports." The unproductive worms - that is, those valueless for silk are steeped in vinegar for a few days, till they become tough, when the manufacturer takes them out separately, and pulls off the outside skin, which is then a bright yellow, as may be seen adhering to the fag or useless end of the gut. Using his teeth and fingers, he stretches out the glutinous intestine of the worm to the required length, and then pegs it down upon a flat hollowed board — leaving it exposed to the air till it becomes bright and hard. The more it is drawn out in length, the finer, of course, the gut will be. An inferior kind of gut is manufactured from the sinews of herons and other birds, and also from the fibres of certain plants. The sort called Indian weed is made from a grass peculiar to the shores of the Mediterranean. None of these last-mentioned kinds should be used by the fly-fisher, and if, in the confidence of inexperience, they are ever employed by him unwittingly, a very little wear will

* Published by Messrs. Longman & Co.

reveal their inferiority. The advantage of silkworm gut over every other kind is unquestionable, and that alone should be used by the fly-fisher. It is sold in skeins containing each a hundred threads, and in choosing it care should be taken to select those threads which are clear and round -rejecting all that are flat and dull coloured. "The best proof of the strength of the gut," says Professor Rennie, "is its hardness. Bite it, and if it resists the teeth like wire, that is, does not easily give way, it is good. . . . That which is quickly bitten through, and makes little resistance to the teeth, will not hold a fish in

a proper manner." When gut, by frequent using, becomes worn and frayed, it may be easily renovated by the application of Indian rubber. There is much difference in the quality of gut, and therefore some difficulty in stating the price at which it may be purchased; but as we think that the plan we have commenced of giving the usual prices of the different articles may be useful to the inexperienced angler, we shall do so as nearly as possible in every instance. It will be sufficiently exact to say that very excellent flygut may be purchased at three or four shillings per skein.

We shall now say a few words about a small

but very important article of angling gear. We allude to

THE HOOK,

of which there are several kinds, each having its admirers. The principal sorts are the Limerick, the Kendal, the Redditch, and the Sneck-bent all of which possess distinct peculiarities in their shape and workmanship. The chief qualities which constitute a good hook are, lightness that it may fall upon the water without disturbing the fish; temper—that it may neither break nor bend without much force; and shape and sharpness of point that it may hook a fish freely and hold it well. It should be so tempered as to admit of being taken by the point with one hand and by the shank with the other, and pulled asunder with some force, and, on the hold being relinquished, return to its original shape. point should not be too long, but sharp —nothing in art requires to be made sharper—and the barb should be cut deeply and stand well off — at such a distance as to admit of the point being well buried in the mouth of a fish before it is fixed by the barb. It is obvious that this last cannot take place if the barb be not of the shape we have described. The point, too, should have

The

a slight lateral inclination, and the bend a wide curve. It may be that all these qualities are found, more or less, in all the different kinds of hooks we have mentioned, and that it is only custom or prejudice which has caused the belief of the superiority of any particular one over the rest. We do not say that this is not the reason why we greatly prefer to all others the Kendal Kirbybent hook. We have used it for twenty years, and may say, without boasting—for we intend praising the hook, and not ourselves that we have lost as few fish, either in striking or playing them, as any brother of the craft with whom we are acquainted. We have found it, in short, to answer every purpose to be every thing that a hook ought to be; and if our angling has not been so successful as that of others, or as it ought, with our opportunities and practice, to have been, we do not dream of blaming the hook for our inferiority. The Limerick hooks are preferred by many anglers, and, as far as temper and point are concerned, they certainly cannot be surpassed; but we object to their shape, which we think very inferior to a straight shank and a crooked bend. We refer, however, exclusively to the smaller sizes used for trout fishing, believing those for salmon flies to be infinitely superior to every other

kind. The sneck-bent hooks are in almost exclusive use in some parts of the country, particularly in the midland counties; and we are disposed to consider them more worthy of regard than their ungainly bend would induce a person unacquainted with them to suspect. They certainly hold admirably, but we do not fancy that they hook so freely as the Kirby-bent hook; and there is a very decided objection to them in their shortness of shank to say nothing about the smallness and closeness of their barb, which, did not their sneck bend contribute so much to its holding quality, would be a serious defect indeed. But our mind has long been made up in favour of the Kendal Kirby-bent hook, and we feel confidence in recommending it. The different sizes of the Kendal hook are indicated by figures, commencing at 00 (the smallest trout size) and ending at 12. The Redditch hooks number conversely, from No. 12., the smallest, to No. 1., the largest size. The Limericks are denoted by letters of the alphabet, beginning from the smallest midge with fe, f, ff, fff, c, cc, b, and bb; after which, for the larger, or "out sizes," figures are used, commencing with 9-0 (nine out, corresponding with No. 1 Redditch, or 12 Kendal), and going downward for the still larger sizes.