FISHING " BRINDLED WORMS." 59 



well-known book " deliverer," who frequently passes this way, one 

 of the keenest and most successful fishers on lake or river we ever 

 knew, and a very quiet decent man to boot. "Will you allow me, 

 sir, to put down some worms in your place 1 " " To put down 

 what 1 " we exclaimed in surprise. " "Worms, sir, brindled worms 

 for fishing with, when the rivers are swollen after heavy rains." 

 We begged to have a look at the worms, and they proved to be a 

 variety of the common earthworm that we had never seen before, 

 the difference consisting in their being rather smaller in size than 

 the common earthworm, and prettily speckled and streaked all over 

 their length, whence, doubtless, their name of brindled worms. A 

 lot had been sent to him from Alyth, in Perthshire, very cunningly 

 done up in a bunch of damp moss ; and, having a few left over after 

 a week's most successful fishing, he wished to deposit them in this, 

 a central part of his peregrinations, that they might multiply and 

 be recoverable at any time he wanted them. Holding one by the 

 middle, between index finger and thumb, in a manner that would 

 have delighted the heart of old Izaak Walton, the worm wriggling 

 and twisting the while with all the liveliness of an eel in similar 

 circumstances, " There, sir," he exclaimed, looking at the lively 

 "brindled" as if he loved it, "there, sir, is a bonny ane ! no troot 

 that ever swam could resist having a dash at that in a brown and 

 swollen stream." In answer to our questions, he told us that the 

 brindled colour of the worm had, he thought, a good deal to do 

 with the trout's liking for it, but, in his opinion, the brisk and 

 lively motions of the worm upon the hook was the main attraction. 

 The thing was so manifestly alive and active, and likely to escape, 

 if not caught at once, that the trout made a rush at it, with his eyes 

 shut, so to speak, and only discovered how thoroughly he had been 

 dote, when, hooked and landed, he lay flopping helplessly about on 

 the green grass by the burn side. Getting piscator a spade, he 

 searched about for a suitable spot, and buried his worms beneath 



