20 HULL SCIENTIFIC AND FIELD NATURALISTS’ CLUB. 
At first the minnow struggles valiantly to get rid of the cruel 
barb, but at last it succumbs, and lies quietly on the bottom. 
Having satisfied himself that everything is in readiness for the 
trout’s return, there is nothing for it but to wait, and as this 
virtue is generally acceded to the piscator, there is no difficulty in 
that. After a time, as sure as fate, back comes the trout. Its 
_ first care is to ascertain whether its enemy the biped is anywhere 
in view, and as that worthy is stretched at full length on the 
greensward, it fails to perceive him. The fish then goes to its 
favourite stone, when the terrified minnow, having in the interim 
recovered its strength, tries to swim off, and, is at once seized by 
the trout. A quick movement of the wrist on the part of the 
biped, and a bar of gold shoots out of the water. ‘‘ You’ve got 
him, have you?” gasps the astonished No. 1. It struggles man- 
fully and long against inevitable fate, but it can get no purchase 
against the withy rod and running line of its captor, and a gradual 
and continued strain tells in time. It turns up its sides, and is 
introduced to the landing net by Angler No.1. The advantages 
gained were: In the first place the trout has had nothing to eat 
since he was disturbed ; and in the second, as the line is not 
floated or drawn to him, it does not attract his attention so much, 
and the probabilities are the first thing he saw was the bait. I 
cannot leave the trout without noticing those in the Barmston 
Drain, a stream which flows side by side with the river for many 
miles. It contains very few trout, but those few are of good size, 
weighing from glbs. to 5lbs. Their chief food consists of small 
shellfish of various kinds, which they swallow whole. When 
taken these trout are crammed with them. This kind of 
food brings out the colour very strongly, and consequently these 
fish are very richly marked. It also affects the flavour to an 
appreciable extent, imparting to their flesh a delicacy which rivals 
that of the salmon itself. 
Tue Exext.—Both the broad-nosed and sharp-nosed eel are 
found plentifully in the River Hull. “Old Ike,” before 
mentioned, gets a good living trapping them in eel “leaps.” 
The leap is a basket of an elongated cylindrical shape, 
provided with a wooden stopper at one end, and so con- 
structed at the other that eels can find their way in easily 
enough, but find it exceedingly difficult to regain their 
freedom. The basket must not be new, or no fish will be 
caught. To entice the eels into the leap various baits are 
used. For instance, worms impaled on copper wire, and 
dead fish, Large eels, weighing from t1lb, to 4lbs., are 
caught in spring and again in autumn on night lines baited 
with dead gudgeon and other small fishes. 
