THE MINNOW. 907 



answers well for surface-fishing : these flies should be kept 

 in a phial with a metal top perforated with small holes. 



After rains, when the rivers are nearly level with their 

 banks, use the caterpillar-flj or a small red palmer, and a 

 yellow gentle, (the yellower the better,) run the hook 

 through its skin, and draw it up to the tail of the fly ; then 

 -whip the surface, and the dace will rise freely. The dace 

 generally weighs about twelve ounces, and we have never 

 heard of it exceeding a pound and a half. 



THE MINNOW. 



This pretty little fish seldom exceeds three inches in 

 length, and inhabits most of the rivers, brooks, and canals of 

 Great Britain and Ireland. Its food consists of aquatic 

 plants, worms, and small portions of animal substances. It 

 spawns in June, and is very prolific. 



In hot weather the minnow will bite eagerly all day, at 

 the red worm, or indeed almost any other bait. The flesh of 

 the minnow is well-flavoured, and in some places made 

 into a dish called " minnow tansies." 



Tlie principal value of the minnow, however, to th:^ 

 angler is its use as a bait. When used dead they should 

 be kept in bran, which dries up the superfluous moisture. 

 The rod for taking minnow should be very small and 

 slender, 



