152 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



who have never heard of it, and a still greater who 

 would not know it if they saw it. Unfortunately for 

 the angler, the period of its duration in its matured 

 state is short, but while it lasts it is a most deadly 

 bait for trout ; and, under circumstances favourable 

 to its use, a greater weight can be taken by it 

 than by fly, worm, or minnow. The trout cap- 

 tured by it are also larger than those caught by 

 any other means, and in point of condition they 

 are the very finest the river contains ; indeed, with 

 this bait the angler will never get an ill-conditioned 

 fish. 



Mr. Wilson in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and 

 again in the Rod and Gun, states that the stone- 

 fly comes out of the caddis or case-worm, an 

 aquatic larva which is to be found plentifully in the 

 bottom of most rivers, enclosed in a curious shell 

 made of sticks and gravel cemented together. But 

 we believe this distinguished naturalist to be in error; 

 the caddis worms, or cod bait, as they are usually 

 denominated, are to be found in abundance up to 

 the beginning of August, long after the last May-fly 

 has disappeared, and are the larvae of flies which 

 assume the winged state during that month. In 

 another part of his volume, Mr. Wilson alludes to 

 the creeper or water-cricket as a bait deserving the 

 attention of the angler ; this is the stone or 

 May-fly in its embryo state, and a very deadly bait 

 it is. 



Creepers are to be found in the rivers all winter, 

 but it is not till April that they merit the attention 



