TO SCOUR AND PRESERVE WORMS. 23 



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cloth, whicli lias never been shrunk in the Full- 

 7Ng-miliy wash it very clean, and let it dry : then 

 soak it in the liquor where a tat piece of fresh 

 beef has been boiled, and wring it out, but not 

 so hard as to press out all the liquor; they lay it 

 in a deep earthen pan, that has a large bottom, 

 and put your worms thereon, that they may 

 crawl in and out and so scour themselves: when 

 they have remained there twenty-four hours, 

 wash out your cloth as before, but do not dry it; 

 then wet it again with some ofjhe same liquor, 

 and having placed your worms thereon, keep 

 them in a close cellar; repeat this every other 

 day during the heat of the summer, and you 

 will not onlv preserve vour worms alive for three 

 weeks or a month, but make them very red, 

 clear, and tough. When you take them out for 

 angling put them into moss that has been well 

 washed and not wrun": drv ; and when vou come 

 liome at night put them again mto the pan, by 

 which they will recoverand gather fresh strength ; 

 take care that there is no salt in the beef liquor, 

 for if there is your worms will purge themselves 

 to death. 



Mr. GV/j/, in his Rural Sports, is particularly 

 partial to the Giit-tail; as is apparent by the 

 ibilowing lines 



You must not every worm promisnioiis use, 

 Judgment will tell, the pro])er baits to thuse; 

 The worm that draws a long immod'rate size 

 The trout abhors and the rank morsel Uies ; 

 And if too small, the naked Iraiid's in sight. 

 Ana fear fordids while hunger docs invite. 

 Those baits will best reward the fisher's pains, 

 Whose polish'd tails a shining yellow stains : 

 Cleanse them from filth, to f^lve a tempting gloss, 

 ChfrTish the sullyVl re})tile with moss; 

 Amid the verdant bed they twine, they toil. 

 And from their bodies wipe their naiive soil. 



