Gut is made from silkworms; but the scrapings of the membrane in the manufacture of catgut (see “Sinew-thread”) Make a fine, strong, and somewhat transparent thread:  twisted horsehair can almost always be obtained:  and boiling this in soap-lees, takes away its oiliness.

Shoemakers’ Wax is made by boiling together common resin and any kind of soft grease, which does not contain salt, such as oil or butter.  A sixth or seventh part of pitch makes it more tough, but it is not absolutely necessary for making the wax.  Try if the quantity of grease is sufficient by dipping the stick with which the wax is stirred, into water to cool it.  When the wax is supposed to be successfully made, pour it into water, then taking it out while yet soft, pull it and stretch it with your wet hands as much as it will bear; do this over and over again, after dipping it in lukewarm water, till it is quite tough.  Wax is used of different degrees of hardness, according as the weather is warm or cold.

Reel.  If you have no reel, make a couple of gimlet-holes, six inches apart, in the butt of your rod, at the place where the reel is usually clamped; drive wooden pegs into these, and wind your spare line round them, as in fig. 1.

[Fig 1:  illustration as described above].

The pegs should not be quite square with the butt, but should slope a little, each away from the other, that the line may be better retained on them.

{Fig. 2 and Fig 3—­line as described below].

A long line is conveniently wound on a square frame, as shown in the annexed sketch (fig. 2); and a shorter line, as in fig. 3.

If you have no equivalent for a reel, and if your tackle is slight, and the fish likely to be large, provide yourself with A bladder or other float; tie it to the line, and cast the whole adrift.

Trimmers are well known, and are a convenient way of fishing the middle of a pool, with only a short line.  Anything will do for the float—­a bladder or a bottle is very good.

To recover a lost Line, make a drag of a small bushy tree with plenty of branches, that are so lopped off as to leave spikes on the trunk.  This is to be weighted with a stone, and dragged along the bottom.

Otters.—­What is called “an otter” is useful to a person on the shore of a wide river or lake which he has no other means of fishing:  it is a very successful at first, but soon scares the fish; therefore it is better suited to a traveller than to an ordinary sportsman.  It is made as follows:—­A board of light wood, fourteen inches long and eight inches high, or thereabouts, is heavily weighted along its lower edge, so as to float upright in the water; a string like the bellyband of a kite, and for the same purpose, is fastened to it; and to this belly-band the end of a line, furnished with a dozen hooks at intervals, is tied.  As the fisherman walks along the bank, the otter runs away from him, and carries his line and hooks far out into the stream.  It is very convenient to have a large hand-reel to wind and unwind the line upon; but a forked stick will do very well.