260 FISHES AND FISHING. 



for them and perch, and on trimmers or night lines 

 for large eels, and the larger size for pike ; they are 

 sold at the fishing-tackle shops. By a work published 

 one hundred years ago, gudgeons were then very- 

 plentiful in the Mersey ; they are, however, common 

 in most rivers, if the bed of it be sand and gravel ; but 

 of late years there have not been so many in the 

 Thames as there were formerly. 



The blood-worm, found in large quantities on the 

 surface of mud, appears as if it were formed of ten or 

 twelve little globes, connected with each other, 

 diminishing rapidly in size near the tail ; the head is 

 the largest part of it, and seems as if there were a 

 mouth always open, with three little forks protruding; 

 it is of a bright crimson colour, and a most disgusting 

 thing to handle ; the myriads of gnats that fly about 

 on summer evenings spring from this worm. Near 

 Whitehall Stairs the surface of the mud generally 

 looks red, and the vulgar opinion is, that this appear 

 ance 1 was never seen before the decapitation of Charles 

 the First; the plain fact is, the blood-like colour 

 arises from the immense quantity of blood-worms 

 about that spot, probably existing as long as the sub 

 stance in which they live and breed was deposited 

 there; more recently they may be observed, when 

 the tide is out, in the mud off Temple Gardens. 



Gudgeons in the Thames are usually angled for 



