218 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



man who describes it, ' it may be regulated to detect the finest 

 bite.' This writer also says that he has been very successful 

 with it in mill tails amongst the dace, baited with a single 

 gentle or red-worm, when with the ordinary shotted float he 

 could not succeed in catching them. The self-cocking ap- 

 paratus consists of a drop or two of quicksilver enclosed in the 

 end of the transparent tapered quill. 



The object of this is to dispense with the 



SHOT OR LEAD WIRE, 



which latter, intended not only to cock the float, but also 

 to carry the bait to the bottom, are best used large rather than 

 numerous and, with the exception of the lowest one, distributed, 

 in pond fishing, as far away from the bait as possible. In river 

 fishing it is necessary to get the bait quickly to the bottom and 

 to keep the current from lifting it off again. Consequently it 

 becomes necessary to get the shot somewhat closer together on 

 the lower part of the line. The shot should be heavy enough 

 to submerge the float up to the, as I may call it, high water 

 mark, generally about three-quarters of the way up, but in many 

 cases the float swims better and bites can be more readily per- 

 ceived when the float is sunk rather over the mark in question. 

 Some float-fishers instead of using split shot, with the annoy- 

 ance of having to bite them on with your teeth when they have 

 to be attached, and cut them out with your penknife at the risk 

 of the line when they have to be detached, use a soft leaden 

 wire, the invention, I believe, and, at any rate, manufacture of 

 the Manchester Cotton Spinning Co., 51 Corporation Street, 

 Manchester, which can be coiled with great facility round the 

 line with the fingers and uncoiled again as soon as it is wished 

 to alter the 'swim of the float/ or the float itself. An illustra- 

 tion of the wire coiled on gut line is annexed. 1 



1 The actual leaden wire, of which samples have been furnished to me by 

 the Company, is about as thick as the finest twine. It is sold by them in h:inks 

 or knots of 15 yards, price one bhilling the hank. The Manchester Company has 



