190 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



fish ; so lusty and cunning as to endanger the breaking 

 of the angler's line, by running his head forcibly towards 

 any covert or hole or bank, and then striking at the line, 

 to break it off, with his tail, as is observed by Plutarch 

 in his book De Industria Animalium ; and also so cunning, 

 to nibble and suck off your worm close to the hook, and yet 

 avoid the letting the hook come into his mouth. 



The barbel is also curious for his baits ; that is to say, 

 that they be clean and sweet ; that is to say, to have 

 your worms well scoured, and not kept in sour and musty 

 moss, for he is a curious feeder ; but at a well scoured 

 lob-worm he will bite as boldly as at any bait, and especially 



BARBEL 



if, the night or two before you fish for him, you shall bait 

 the places where you intend to fish for him, with big worms 

 cut into pieces ; and note, that none did ever overbait 

 the place, nor fish too early or too late for a barbel. And 

 the barbel will bite also at gentles, which not being too 

 much scoured, but green, are a choice bait for him ; and so 

 is cheese, which is not to be too hard, but kept a day or two 

 in a wet linen cloth to make it tough : with this you may 

 also bait the water a day or two before you fish for the 

 barbel, and be much the likelier to catch store : and if the 

 cheese were laid in clarified honey a short time before, as 

 namely, an hour or two, you are still the likelier to catch 

 fish : some have directed to cut the cheese into thin pieces, 

 and toast iti and then tie it on the hook with fine silk : and 



