74 BAITS USED IN SCOTLAND. [PART I. 



called "g&nsers 1 "), cockles, mussels, and pieces of 

 fish, principally whiting and herring. These baits 

 I have arranged according to the estimation in 

 which I think they are generally held, regard being 

 also had to the comparative difficulty of procuring 

 them, which of course differs on different parts of 

 the coast. Fish, as bait, stand somewhat apart 

 from the others, as they are generally only used 

 when others fail, though they occasionally answer 

 extremely well, herrings especially. 



In Scotland the baits used, so far as my obser- 

 vation extends, are more limited, as they seem to 

 discard the use of lug, at least along the West 

 coast, and to rely almost exclusively on mussels 

 and cockles, the former being decidedly preferred. 

 Pieces of herring, whiting, and the power-cod, are 

 however much depended on, especially herring, 

 than which it is indeed perhaps impossible to find 

 a better bait. The worst of mussels is, that they 

 are so difficult to bait with and so easily pulled off 

 the hooks. This is, to some extent, obviated by 

 par-boiling them, but unfortunately the fish decid- 

 edly prefer them au naturel. In baiting with 

 mussels, the hook should always be first run 

 through a small dark heart-shaped substance, po- 

 1 Qu. from cancer ? 



