EELS AND FLOUNDERS. 163 



grass. He was further assured that the fisherman had seen 

 them scuttling back again into the river, on his approach. 

 ISTow I should suppose that the " old fisherman " was poking 

 fun at that writer, for I must confess that I have been by the 

 river-side all hours, night and day, under all sorts of circum- 

 stances, i.e. when it rained, when a very heavy dew was falling, 

 and when very fine in moonlight, starlight, or darkness 

 and I have never yet met an eel on his cross-country journey, 

 nor have I disturbed any, when they have been worming. 

 Furthermore, I never yet met anybody who could positively say 

 they had done so. Large eels are not often caught with rod 

 and line, though odd ones sometimes are picked up by 

 angling, when the water has been very much discoloured. 

 As I said before, they " run " at night, and they choose the 

 darkest nights for this. Night-liners very seldom set their 

 lines during the bright moonlight. These night-lines consist 

 of several yards of very strong string with ten or a dozen 

 hooks on each, fastened about a yard from each other. The 

 hooks are big ones, and are tied on strong twisted horsehair ; 

 the bait is a very large lob- worm, or a young bird, or a bleak, 

 for it must be noticed that large eels are fish and flesh eaters ; 

 a piece of lampern is also a very good bait on a night-line. 

 Grand fish of four, five, or six pounds are taken on these 

 lines, while a big barbel or chub are occasionally pulled out 

 on them. A piece of brick is fastened to each end of these 

 lines to sink the baits well. The lines are then thrown in 

 the river and left, and in the morning a drag hook and cord 

 is used to pull them out. Sniggling is another method of 

 taking eels ; for this a stick about six or eight feet long is 

 used, with another short piece lashed at the top so that it 

 forms a right angle ; a few yards of coarse twine and a stout 

 needle will complete the outfit of a sniggler. The string is 

 lashed to the needle with a bit of waxed silk, beginning at 

 the eye end of the needle, and finishing about the middle, the 

 point of the needle will then be upwards. The end of the 

 needle-point is stuck into a very thin bit of stick or a crow- 

 quill, and the needle is thrust into half a lob-worm at the 

 broken end, until the whole of the needle is in the worm. 

 The point is then just brought out of the worm, and the 



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