ON ANGLING WITH THE WORM 127 



round the end of the shank of the hook, to prevent 

 the latter from cutting the gut ; then laying the gut 

 to the hook, whip both firmly together rather more 

 than half-way up the shank, where finish with a suc- 

 cession of hitch-knots or the whip-fastening. 



With regard to the size of hook, we think a small 

 size, not larger than No. 3 or 4, is best, being much 

 more easily swallowed, and less likely to be discovered 

 by the trout. When baiting, take the hook, and 

 entering it close to the head end of the worm, run 

 the worm up on it and on the gut, till it is all 

 impaled but about three-quarters of an inch of 

 the tail, which should be left to play about. The 

 object of this is, that the trout, which always 

 makes its first attack upon the part which appears 

 most lively, may seize the end where the hook is. 

 It is the practice of some anglers to leave a large 

 part of the head to move about, under the supposition 

 that the worm will live longer. This is very ob- 

 jectionable, as in such circumstances the trout may 

 make its first attack on the head, and may be alarmed 

 by getting the gut in its mouth ; or the angler may 

 strike before it takes hold of the hook at all, and 

 consequently lose the trout. 



With every precaution, however, the angler will 

 sometimes miss three or four trout in succession, 

 because they have not got the hook in their mouth, 

 but merely bite some part of the worm. In such 

 circumstances three or four small hooks about No. 9 

 or 10 of Bartletfs, or what are perhaps even better, 

 three of Hutchinson and Son's sneck-bent hooks, 



