CHAPTER XYI. 



NATURAL BAITS. 



"And, good master, tell me wliat baits more you remember."— Izaak 

 Walton. 



Minnows. 



Among anglers, the term minnow is used to express any 

 small fish lised for bait, whether adult fish of certain fami- 

 lies, or the young of others. But the term properly be- 

 longs to the family Cyprinid^, which comprises numer- 

 ous genera, and some of the genera are composed of many 

 species. 



The most generally diffused species are Lu.rills comutus, 

 the common shiner; Semofilus corporalls, the common 

 chub; and Ccratichthys bir/iiffatis, the horned chub. The 

 shiner is, by all odds, the best bait for the Black Bass, be- 

 ing quite silvery, as its name implies, and shows well in 

 the water. It is not so hardy, or long-lived, on the hook, 

 as the chub ; but on account of its white and silvery ap- 

 pearance it is especially desirable for turbid or rough water, 

 and on cloudy or dark days, though it is, for that matter, 

 a good bait at all times. 



The chubs are good bait on bright days with clear and 

 still water ; they have rather tough mouths, endure the 

 hook well, and are rather more lively than shiners, and on 

 these accounts are preferred by many anglers. ^ 



The young of some of the species of Gatostomidce (suck- 



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