36 MINNOWS AND 



himself out of the way of mischief, when the 

 deceiving colour shall be again presented to him. 



As a variation on the brass Minnows, anoint 

 one of them with novargent, — a chemical pre- 

 paration, which will convert the brass into 

 silver : or, at least, into the similitude of silver, 

 — for I dabble not in transmutation of metals. 

 Should a good fish have been missed with one, 

 try the other. I have, however, more frequently 

 killed, on these occasions, with a black bait; 

 the colour being so totally different from any 

 with which the fish has been already deceived, 

 he will commonly snap at it fearlessly. I have 

 used one made of ebony, but it is too ligl^t ; 

 and I have found it preferable to stain or paint 

 a brass serpentine Minnow black. A friend, 

 and an excellent fisherman, gave me this hint. 

 He took Trout in a lake in Wales, with leeches 

 in their gullets. And I am now satisfied that 

 a leech will, in most, if not in all, waters, take 

 fish. The brass, being bent into a serpentine 

 form, and made black, is no despicable repre- 

 sentation of a leech. 



Though Trout certainly appear to be ena- 



