76 THE PIKE. 



that when we did not want any baits we could catch any 

 amount of them, and when they were wanted badly not one 

 could be procured. We tried salting them, putting them 

 in glycerine, using spirits of wine, and trying a dozen ot'ier 

 dodges, but none of them was a howling success. Of course^ 

 as I have said elsewhere, I preferred them fresh and bleed- 

 ing if they could be got, but still a good preservative was a 

 thing badly wanted. Formalin is the latest, and I am 

 bound to say by experience far the best that has yet been 

 tried. This mixture has two great merits, it is cheap -.md 

 remarkably easy in its application. Experiments have shown 

 that even the very smallest quantity of formalin among a 

 quantity of clean water is sufficient to preserve small fish. 

 A teaspoonful of it to a quart of water is quite ample for 

 any ordinary purpose. The small fish — ^sprats are as good 

 as anything — should be put in a wide-necked bottle, or a 

 stoppered pickle jar, care being taken that not too many are 

 put in each bottle, and then filled up with the diluted mix- 

 ture just named, corked or otherwise fastened securely down* 

 Sometimes the baits after being in the mixture for a time 

 turn dirty and look very disagreeable. If this happens the 

 best plan is to remove the cork, pour away the liquid, wash 

 the baits well in cold water, rinse out the bottle, put back 

 the baits, and fill up with a fresh lot of the mixture, only 

 this time made weaker than before, say a proportion of only 

 one teaspoonful of the formalin to three pints of water. 

 One in forty is a strong proposition ; one in sixty will do 

 very well ; while even one part to a hundred parts of water 

 will preserve sprats if they are for immediate use. I might 

 say that formalin is a poison, but when mixed with water 

 is harmless. It is a liquid itself and colourless. I don't 

 advise anyone to mix up more at once than he requires for 

 the baits he just then wishes to preserve. I trust I have 

 made this perfectly plain. The formalin itself is a poison^ 

 and should be kept under lock and key away from children. 

 When mixed with water in its right proportions it is harm- 

 less. A teaspoonful to a quart of water is the proportion 

 to use. Sprats especially, treated like this, are considerably 

 toughened, and will keep for a long time. I have some now 

 before me as I write that have been in the bottles eighteen 



