PRESERVING GENTLES FOR WINTER. 201 



best. Mr. Daniel, in his e Eural Sports,' cautions 

 anglers not to throw away gentles that are on 

 the turn from one state to another. Dace and 

 roach, he says, often prefer a turned and a fresh 

 gentle put on the hook together. Gentles used 

 in grayling fishing should be large, fresh, and well 

 scoured. 



Preserving gentles for the winter months. On 

 this subject Mr. Elaine writes with his usual sound 

 sense, remarking that c in the neighbourhood of 

 still and deep rivers, the angler's winter roach 

 fishing chiefly depends on gentles ; and in the 

 bends and deeps of the more rapid rivers which 

 afford grayling, he is equally indebted to them 

 for his principal sport and his largest fish. In 

 September or October, the later the better, so that 

 the parent fly is yet abroad, which will much 

 depend on the season (we have seen the flesh-fly 

 active in the early part of November), allow either 

 the carcass of a fowl or rabbit, a sheep's head or 

 a portion of liver, to be well blown. Procure a 

 butter tub, or, in preference, a stout long elm box 

 (our own was one foot wide, one foot and a half 

 deep, and three feet long) ; into some such vessel 

 put sifted mould moistened and mixed with dried 

 and pulverised cow-dung. With this mixture 

 half-fill the box, and press it down very lightly. 

 Put the carcass and the blown gentles together 

 into it, strewing them over with some of the same 



