Feathers!

Some general info on where certain feathers may be found on skins, wings etc.

Wing Coverts The small feathers which cover the bases of the primary, secondary and tertiary feathers. They are also called 'tetrices' (singular 'tetrix') and are present on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, forming the 'upper wing coverts' and 'under wing coverts' (or 'wing lining') respectively. These feathers are arranged in four bands, namely (from the leading edge of the wing) the 'marginal', 'lesser', 'median' and 'greater' coverts

When looking at wings from the same bird, it often seems that one is larger than the other. This is an illusion caused by the position the muscles and sinews were in when the bird died. When the wings dry, the wing becomes stiff and immobile.

As I find the time, and dress the relevant flies, I will include pictures of the individual hackles used, but I don?t want to start pulling wings and skins apart just to photograph them!

Scapulars . One of the feathers which cover the shoulder of a bird, namely the area where the upperwing joins the body.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4...athers1oy2.jpg


There are a very large number of body feathers from various birds used for fly-dressing.Of course, one must know where to find them. The diagram below should help.The most common areas for selecting feathers are the Neck, ( nape), Throat, Breast,Back, Rump, Flank, Thigh,and Tail. It should be noted that many game and other birds are skinned by splitting them down the front! So breast feathers will of course be on the upper right and left of the skin, and flank feathers on the lower left and right!

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7962/birdbodyfs0.jpg

TL
MC

And a selection of feathers used by fly-dresser?s ( you may obtain the original plates as part of a PDF file here;
http://www.archive.org/details/natur...flyi00westrich) but the photos here are a little better as I have originals, and I have also enhanced them somewhat). Some of these feathers are now unobtainable of course, but at least you can use the photos to help you find a substitute if desired.

FEATHERS FOR FLIES' WINGS.

1. This is from the wing of a cock pheasant, and is one of the feathers commonly used for a march brown ; it is an easy feather to manipulate.

2. No. 2 is also a secondary wing feather from the wing of a hen pheasant, and is used
for march browns, and also for sedges.

3. Is from the tail of a cock pheasant, and is very good in colour and speckle, but not
good to work, as the fibres do not marry well ; the aider wing is sometimes made from this feather.

4. Similar to No. i , but from a lighter coloured bird.

5. Tail feather from a hen pheasant, a useful sedge colour.

6. From an Orpington cock ; a fine cinnamon, and easy to work.

7. This and many other varieties of finely speckled feathers are obtained from the capercailzie.

8-9. Were taken from a game hen, and are fine in the speckle, and good working feathers ; alders and march browns are sometimes imitated with this feather.

10-11. Are Bittern feathers, which have a great variety of colour and marking ; no finer imitation can be found for some of the sedges, &c. The fibre is soft and silky and marries very well.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4...eather1fx1.jpg

TL
MC

FEATHERS FOR FLIES' WINGS.


12-13-14 Are Jay feathers, fine and transparent in the fibre, and very good in colour the cinna-mon for sedges and the grey for Ephemera.

15. Is from the wing of a French partridge, and very useful for sedges. Easy to work.

16-17. Tail feathers from a partridge, good in colour but long in the fibre, and very apt to break up rather badly.

18. Partridge wing ; fine in colour and easy to work, just right for a grass moth or a small sedge.

19. A quail wing feather, used whole to imitate the big sedge "Grandis."

20-21-22 Grouse feathers. There are also several other shades on a grouse, equally good and useful, both in colour and texture.

23-24. Woodcock wing feathers; probably about the easiest to manipulate as wings, and useful in quite a number of flies, e.g., oak fly, sedges, etc.

25-26-27 Are from a brown owl. For sedges they are very good, especially the larger ones, but they must either be tied thick or supported, as they turn very soft after getting soaked.

28-29. Good in colour and markings for dark sedges, but all night-jar feathers soon knock to pieces, being so soft and fluffy, but for wet flies they are very good indeed, while they last.

30-31. Are from a Landrail, which is a grand bird for the fly dresser. The feathers are pleasant to work, and very attractive to the fish.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/424...eather2yx0.jpg

TL
MC

FEATHERS FOR FLIES' WINGS,

32-33. Are from a golden pheasant. No. 32 is used for wing cases {Elytra} in dressing beetles, where a dark colour with a metallic gloss is required. The orange and black provides a very good imitation of the soldier beetle. Single fibres are also useful for the tails of Ephemera, &c.

34. Is from a tern or sea swallow, which has a number of hackles as well as wing feathers of a very delicate pale blue grey, decidedly suggestive of a variety of small duns. Grayling esteem this colour highly.

35. From our old favourite the starling, which, although one of the commonest, is among the most useful of birds, providing also small dark glossy hackles of fine quality.

36. Blackbird ; good alike in texture and colour for a dark coloured dun.

37. Coot or Waterhen wing ; a fine texture, and possessing just the right brownish tinge for many of the stone flies.

38. Peacock sword. Having been frequently asked what was meant by a sword, and also where the best green body herls are obtainable, we decide to illustrate this feather.

39, 40. Heron feathers, rather course in the fibre. Excepting the smaller feathers, all beautiful in colour, and the herl from a large feather makes a fine grey blue body.

41. Indian Runner duck, which, like all the other ducks, yields some very beautiful feathers.

42. Teal ; a beautiful black feather with white lines, more useful for sea trout than for brownies.

43-44. Widgeon duck (No. 43), of a rich velvety black with white edge ; makes good sedge's wings, and also Elytra for beetles. No. 44 has a strong showy marking, and is sometimes used for May-flies.

45. The brown mallard, which was at one time used for the wings of a great number of flies. The amateur may find difficulty in tying this and other duck feathers when used in sections. The best way is to cut out the desired section with a piece of quill attached, and cut this quill off after the wing is tied in position on the hook not before.

46. This is a rather expensive feather from a bustard, It is a great favourite, and a couple of fibres are very attractive as tails to almost any fly. The feathers are, unfortunately, soft, and the fibres break off short with continuous use.

47. Breast feathers from a teal ; although almost any duck will yield feathers like this.

The feathers having the finest speckle are those obtained from the Canadian Wood Duck, the Egyptian Goose, or the Indian Runner Duck.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4...eather3zy6.jpg

TL
MC

For the sake of accuracy, original bird feathers have been listed here. Many of these birds are now rare and /or protected. Please check your local regulations before you use anything like this. Even possession of many feathers is illegal in lots of places.This applies even if you find them dead on the road etc.

Also, for most things relatively common substitutes may be found. None of these feathers has “magical” properties, and it is most unlikely that the fish care at all! No feathers have “magical” properties. they were often chosen simply because they were available, and the colour or mobility looked right.

For a large selection of bird wing photos;

http://www.ups.edu/x5837.xml

If anybody would like specific images of bird skins etc, then just ask, I have a large collection of such photos.

TL
MC

HACKLE FEATHERS. POULTRY, &c.

1. Cochybondu Cock (neck).

2. Furnace Cock (neck).

3. Red Cock (neck).

4. Red with White List, Cock.

5. Red Cockerel.

6. Yellow or Brassy Cock.

7. Dark Badger Cock.

8. Yellow Badger Cock.

9. Pale Badger Cock.

10. Brown Badger Hen.

1 1. Game Hen.

12. Pale Game Hen.

13. Dark Game Hen.

14. Dark Cinnamon Hen.

1 5. Cinnamon Hen.

1 6. Dark Buff Hen.

17. Buff Hen.

1 8. Cree Hen.

19. Yellow Cree Cock.

20. Yellow Cree Cock.

21. Fine Cree Cock.

22. Black Cock.

23. Black Hen.

24. Green Black Cock.

25. Dark Blue Cock.

26. Dark Blue Hen.

27. Light Blue Cockerel.

28. Rusty Cock.

29. Rusty Hen.

30. Dark Honey Dun.

31. Medium Honey Dun.

32. Honey Dun.

33. Merlin or Blue Hawk.

34. Coot or Water Hen.

35. Dark Snipe (under wing).

36. Starling (under wing).

37. Grey Partridge (breast).

38. Brown Partridge (back).

39. Woodcock (dark back).

40. Light Woodcock (under wing).

41. Brown Owl (back or wing).

42. Grouse, Cinnamon.

43. Grouse, Speckled.

44. Grouse, Barred.

45. Landrail or Corncrake.

46. Curlew.

47. Golden Plover.

48. Ibis.

49. Parakeet or Love Bird.

50. Green Plover or Pewitt
Topping.

51. Dyed Hackles.


1. The cochybondu is a very difficult feather to get in small sizes. It is, however, much more plentiful in larger sizes, as the small leathers are apt to be too black. The example shown is a good one, having good black, "list" next the quill, then good deep red and black tips. It is the black tips which dis- 2. tinguish it from No. 2.

The furnace hackles 3-4-5. (Nos. 3, 4, 5) call for no special comment.

6. No. 6 a real, bright "brassey" is not met every day. It is the best possible base for dying on, and also makes first rate wings for

7-9. u lacewings" and ''yellow sallies," &c. The dark and light badgers are favourites for many hackled and wing flies, and No. 8, "black yellow black," is the original hackle of Greenwell's Glory.

10. The brown badger is not used as much as it might be. It makes a very good imitation of brown or white legs, which are often seen in nature.

Three shades from the neck of a game hen. These are sometimes called " honey duns," and may be obtained in a very wide range of shades, most of them being useful.

14-15- Range from buff to deep cinnamon, and 16- 17 are all useful; they are all hen feathers, and for caddis flies are very suitable. Small hackles of these colours are great favourites with grayling.

18-2 1. Various colours of "Crees"; the finest in the markings are the most useful, and the tips of the small feathers make first rate wings for gnats and small stone flies.

22. Black cock, a very useful feather for
many purposes.

23. Black hen of a smoky colour, also very
useful.

24. Is a lustrous black green, rather stiffer,
and floats better than No. 23.

25. When held up to the light this is many
shades lighter, and has a fine glassy grey
colour.

26. Is a hen feather, duller of fibre, but nearly
the same colour.

27. Is a fine glassy light Andalusian cock of
good quality.

28-29. Are " rusty" blues, that is : when held up to the light they have a distinct brownish red tinge, especially at the tips.

30-31-32 Are very much sought after; they are honey duns of three shades, being the colour of rather dark old honey along the quills, and new honey at the tips of the fibres.

33. The merlin or blue hawk back, provides excellent pale blue, much sought after by grayling fishers ; the heron and the tern or sea-swallow also yield somewhat similar feathers.

34. The Coot provides some very good hackles on the back, the wings, and also under the wings.

35. The various snipes, sand pipers, stints, dunlins, and other shore birds give feathers of this type, though one of the best is under the wing of the jack-snipe.

36. The starling's under wing provides this feather, which is often palmed off as a dotteril for hackles of that ilk.

37. The grey partridge is useful, but not as

38. generally so as the brown one, which will kill with or without a wing and with almost any coloured body, where the trout are not over educated.

39-40. From the back and underwing of the woodcock ; they are used both as hackle or wing feathers.

41. The brown owl, used as a hackle imitation of a caddis fly.

42-43-44 These three are grouse hackles of very varied colour, and all useful.

45. This is a landrail hackle of very useful colour, as are almost all the. feathers on this bird.

46. The curlew, much used for hackle flies on the moors where the bird abounds.

47. The golden plover, also useful, the contrast between the yellow and the dark ash colour, making fine speckled legs.

48. The ibis, used for tags, heads, and tails, and on occasion, legs, when a freak is wanted.

49. The small parakeet, which is a fine insect green, and sometimes takes both trout and grayling when they are skittish and refuse more commonplace diet.

50. The pewit crest ; very useful when a long fine hackle is desired.

The best way to judge of the real quality of a hackle is to try the texture and then hold it up to the light, when a much truer judgment may be formed of its real colour than by looking at it by reflected light.

51. The various dyed hackles shown are those used when attempting to obtain a prismatic effect in the fly.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9...images1es6.jpg

TL
MC

Thanks Mike for all this info. Isn't the internet amazing, without it never in a thousand years would I get this much info at my desk. The Puget Sound Natural History link is just great.
Thanks again
bill dorgeloh

wow..... thank you. i dont know where on earth you learn all this stuff but thanks so much for sharing. i might have to copy and paste this into a word document to keep it-theres just so much great info here. thanks

Mike,

Thanks for all that information. Very helpful.

Dub

Now that was very interesting.

Too cool, I come back from a little over a week visit to my son's house with him and family and find this little treasure.

Thanks,

Skip

Mike, thanks for sharing that. Very nice selection. I love it.