180 Tht Murral. CHAPT. XIV 



shore, giving, as aforesaid, no slack line at all. You may leave it 

 to do its work while you go away and tie a dozen more, or spin, or 

 smoke the pipe of peace. 



The Murral feeds largely on frogs, and sailing quietly about, 

 looking for them, as his habit sometimes is, he comes upon 

 your bait, and, as it is thoroughly natural, of course takes it. 



" Ah me ! what perils do enTiron 

 Ihefish that meddles with cold iron." 



He has to go through a severe course of steel before he has done 

 with it. As there is no slack line at all, he is struck the moment 

 he has taken the bait ; the line is taut on him, and he is seen 

 flapping about, with his head half out of water. You have conse- 

 quently no need to be constantly examining your trimmers, as you 

 can see, from a quarter of a mile off, a great fish flapping and 

 splashing on the top of the water. 



As there is no play whatever given to the fish, but a dead pull 

 from the moment he is hooked, it follows that your hue and hook 

 must be strong — must be much stronger than it would be necessary 

 to use on a rod. A single hook of about the size of a No. 4/0 or 

 3/0 Limerick hook will do very well ; but a good strong treble 

 hook is perhaps a trifle better. It should be tied on a piece of the 

 stoutest pike gimp; tin 1 natives use a bit of cupper or brass wire, 

 which does very well. The line can be any piece of good stout 

 twine. You need not be nervous about its being seen by the. fish, 

 for the manner of baiting is such that there is nothing whatever to 

 be seen in the water, and the hook, be it ever so big in reason, 

 cannot be seen, because it is thoroughly screened by the frog, 

 which is in a direct line between your hook and the fish to be 

 taken. Of cord, too, there is only about a toot or two, hanging in a 

 motionless straight line directly down to the frog, by which again 

 it is mainly hidden ; it is also generally difficult to see in the 

 shade of the bush. 



The wlmle method of baiting is so simple and so effective, that 



it might be adopted with advantage for pike in England, for they 



also have a tooth for frog, though not quite such an one perhaps 



as the Murral : — 



" But John P. 



Robinson. lie 



Sez they did'nl know everything down in Judce." 



So the little wrinkle is thrown out 



