116 ON FISHING WITH THE WORM FOR TROUT. 



fanciful, but as it is my purpose in this present trea- 

 tise as much to propound the practice of others as to 

 put forward my own notions, I shall not omit describing 

 it. The drier the moss is among which the worms are 

 placed, the quicker they become fit for use ; at the same 

 time, be it remembered, their natural juices are the 

 sooner exhausted, and if kept beyond a certain period 

 without moisture, they soon lose all liveliness, pine 

 away, and die. The dryness of the fog ought there- 

 fore to be regulated by circumstances, by the state of 

 the weather, the temperature of the apartment or cellar 

 where the jar is placed, and the time when its contents 

 are required to be used. As to the reddening matter 

 spoken of, which some anglers mix up with the fog 

 when in a moist condition, it is a species of high- 

 coloured earth, reduced to a fine powder and resem- 

 bling brick-dust. This may be purchased at any 

 druggist's under the name of Bole Armenian. It is 

 supposed the worms consume a portion of it as their 

 food, being deprived of other natural sustenance, in the 

 shape of earth, and that they actually fatten upon it, 

 imbibing, at the same time, its alluring colour. Nor 

 is it always administered to them mixed up slenderly 

 with fog, but sometimes employed in larger quantities, 

 moistened with water and mingled with a little sweet 

 cream. *3o much for the preparation of earth-worms, 

 as angling baits. The essential matter is to have them 

 red and lively, possessing at the same time some mea- 

 sure of toughness, so as not to break upon the hook, 

 and thereby expose to view a portion of its shank or 

 barb. While undergoing the processes above men- 

 tioned, it is requisite to keep them in a cool shady 

 place, for although naturally retentive of life when 

 maimed or broken, they are not proof against great 



