"The Major" by Francis, Francis

Author Francis, Francis
Book A Book on Angling
Book Edition N/A
Page 336

Material

  • Hook: From No. 4 to No.8
  • Tag: Silver twist and ruby floss
  • Tail: Bustard hackle fibres, tippet and a topping
  • Body: Pig's wool - two turns of medium blue, two of dark orange, four or five of bright claret, and two of blue (well picked out)
  • Rib: Silver tinsel and gold twist
  • Hackle: Red claret hackle, from the orange wool,  bustard hackle over blue wool, yellow hackle in front of wing
  • Wing: White ribbed snipe's feather, with longish tippet on either side, bustard and gold pheasant tail in strips, red, blue, and greenish-yellow fibres
  • Topping: Golden pheasant topping
  • Head: Black

Cites list

This pattern contains cites material. The following list is a suggestion of substitutes you can use for this pattern.

Animal Substitutes
Kori Bustard
  • Feather => Turkey : Feather - Tail

Original material

As written in the book:

Tag, silver twist and ruby floss; tail, fibres of bustard hackle, tippet and a topping; body composite, viz. two turns of medium blue, ditto of dark orange, about four or five of bright claret, and two more of blue pig's wool, over this silver tinsel and gold twist side by side; a red claret hackle, commencing from the orange wool, the blue wool picked out in longish fibres at the shoulder, over this a bustard hackle, then the wing, and over that a yellow hackle. The wing is composed of a white ribbed snipe's feather, with longish tippet on either side, over this bustard and gold pheasant tail in strips, with red, blue, and greenish-yellow fibres, and over all a topping; black head. It is a capital fly, but I think some of the dressing is rather overdone, and might be dispensed with. Size same as the last.

Size: "Size various, from about No. 4 to 8."

Long material list

Part Material Type Color
Tag Tinsel - Twist Silver      
Floss
Ruby
 
Tail Kori Bustard
Latin: Ardeotis kori
Cites
Feather Natural
Pheasant - Golden
Latin: Chrysolophus pictus
Feather - Neck Natural
Pheasant - Golden
Latin: Chrysolophus pictus
Feather - Head Natural
Body Pig Wool
Medium-blue, two turns
Blue      
Pig Wool
Two turns
Orange - Dark      
Pig Wool
Bright, four of five turns
Claret      
Pig Wool
Well picked out
Blue      
Rib Tinsel Silver      
Tinsel - Twist Gold      
Hackle Chicken - Cock
Latin: Gallus gallus domesticus
Feather - Neck
From orange
Claret-red      
Kori Bustard
Latin: Ardeotis kori
Cites
Feather
Over blue
Natural
Chicken - Cock
Latin: Gallus gallus domesticus
Feather - Neck
In front of wing
Yellow      
Wing Snipe Feather
White ribbed
White      
Pheasant - Golden
Latin: Chrysolophus pictus
Feather - Head
Long
Natural
Kori Bustard
Latin: Ardeotis kori
Cites
Feather Natural
Pheasant - Golden
Latin: Chrysolophus pictus
Feather - Tail Natural
Feather Red      
Feather Blue      
Feather
Green-yellow
Green      
Topping Pheasant - Golden
Latin: Chrysolophus pictus
Feather - Head Natural
Head Black      

Materials in pattern

We are working on getting more images to cover all parts.