BAIT. 77 



Bait. — The baits used for hand lines are : Fresh squid 

 (Loligo), which is supplied by trawlers^ this is the best; 

 dried squid and salted squid are also used, but with little 

 success; mussels {Mytilus eduJis), obtained by a limited 

 number of mussel fishers from the bottoms of hulks, &c., 

 from beds up the Hamoaze, and from off the stones of the 

 Breakwater ; " queens " (Pecten), supplied by the ti'awlers 

 in large quantities in summer ; mackerel [Scomber scomber), 

 herring [Glupea harengus) , and pilchard [Glupea jpilchardua), 

 obtained from drift fishermen ; garfish [Belone vulgaris), 

 obtained from drift fishermen generally ; chad [Pagelliis 

 centrodontus), he, fished for with hand lines ; sand-launce or 

 sand-eel [Ammodytes lanceolatns and A. tohianus), obtained 

 by raking the sand at low water^ or in some places by 

 seining, an excellent bait ; hermit crab [Pagurus), the soft 

 part of the body of the animal is used ; white sand-worms 

 [Nereis versicolor) , and rag-worms [Nereis lineata ?), two 

 species of Nereis which ai^e found in the mud of creeks, 

 &c., at low water, the latter is the favourite worm bait ; 

 lug-worm [Arenicola piscatorum), found by digging in sand 

 at low water; and the earthworm [Liimbricus). 



For whifiing the following baits are used : Strips cut 

 from the tail end of mackerel, herrings pilchard, garfish, 

 chad, &c. ; strips of the skin of bass, gurnard, ray, &c. ; 

 strips of salt pork ; pieces of parchment, cloth, and tin ; but 

 the best bait of all is the sand-launce, which is put on the 

 hook alive. Artificial baits are used, the best of these 

 being an imitation sand-launce made of india rubber. This 

 is mostly, if not exclusively, used by amateur fishermen. 



Mussel Bait. — It is noticeable that mussels are not used 

 to the same extent here as they are in the North Sea. 



There is a very considerable industry connected with the 

 supply of mussels for bait in the North Sea, and it is cal- 

 culated (No. 8) that 1000 tons of mussels will catch £41,000 

 worth of haddock, cod, and whiting in the North Sea. 



An apparatus (No. 9) for storing, keeping alive, and 

 fattening molluscs has been patented, and mussel farms in- 

 stituted in several places on the northern coasts of the 

 kingdom, with, I understand, fair financial success. As 



