Two-thirds actual size

WINGS: Several styles of wings are used, see Diagram 2, page xi, those on Fig. 1, and are cut from a pair of matched wing quill feathers, like Fig. 7. Those in Fig. 2 are buzz wings taken from a pair of breast feathers {12} (mallard, wood duck, etc.) shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 3 shows hackle tip wings, tips of two hackle feathers, see Fig. 9. Fan wings, Fig. 4, are a matched pair of small breast feathers, see Fig. 10 (white duck, mallard, teal, grouse, etc.). In fact there is hardly a bird that flies that does not supply some of its plumage to the Fly-Tier. Flies of the order Diptera (land flies), such as the Bee, Cowdung, Blue Bottle, etc., should be tied with flat wings as in Fig. 5. A Bi-visible is shown in Fig. 6. This is a fly without wings, hackle tied palmer (that is hackle wound the full length of the hook, usually tied without a body, and the dark patterns have a turn or two of white hackle in front).

All of the flies on Diagram 2 are shown as dry flies; however, the same feathers are used for wet flies, streamers, etc., the difference being the style in which they are tied, which is explained elsewhere.

WAX: Use a good grade of wax for fly-tying. The proper wax will work much better than shoemaker's wax or beeswax. Wax for fly-tying should be quite sticky so that when the waxed tying silk is let go of, it will not unwind while tying the fly.

{13}