12 EDUCATION OF WORMS. 



fresh-caught worm is very dehcate and tender, and 

 easily breaks up when put on the hook. When a worm 

 is properly educated he is as tough as a bit of india- 

 rubber, and behaves as a worm should when put on a 

 hook. The way to test a worm is to take him up and 

 pass the finger gently down the length of him. If 

 anything comes out of him he is not fit, and is put back 

 for further training. The meaning of this is, that the 

 wild worms contain, more or less, food undergoing 

 digestion. When put into the moss this food disappears. 

 The moss in some way facilitates this operation, but I 

 cannot quite see how this is, unless the worms disgorge 

 all their former food, and practically become very little 

 else than skin. 



The keei^ing of worms depends very much upon the 

 weather. They will not keep well above a week. Mr. 

 Wells has a supply of worms ready for his customers 

 all the year round. He goes over his moss very fre- 

 quently, picking out the " mauled and mashed "worms, 

 and only sending to market the " plump and healthy " 

 ones. 



He showed me the handsomest worm he had on 

 hand. It was a " maiden dew- worm." The peculiarity 

 of this lovely maiden is that it had a very square tail, a 

 small head, a long body, and no joints in the middle. 

 This was the best-looking Avorm out of fourteen or 

 fifteen thousand that were in the cellar, undergoing a 

 course of education. 



The worms are ]3acked up for market in moss ; the 

 bags used are of light canvas. 



The demand for worms is very great, and he sends 

 great numbers to London. In Nottingham alone there 

 are fifty-two angling societies, and 1,700 member.-^. The 

 interests of these anglers are ably looked after by Mr. 



