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grubs, cod-baits, and grasshoppers, either natural 

 or artificial. Allow the bait to sink by degrees to 

 the bottom, and then draw it up about two feet, 

 rather suddenly. 



The best bait for them is a worm or a gentle. 



The eel has a long smooth body, moistened all 

 over with a viscous liquor, which renders it very 

 slippery. He feeds upon earth-worms, small fish, 

 and snails. 



There are four sorts of eels; the silver eel, the 

 greenish or gr^g eel, the red-finned eel, and the 

 blackish eel : this last has a broader, flatter, and 

 larger head than the rest, and is counted the worst. 

 In the Thames, the fishermen give them particular 

 names; but the most usual are, the silver eel, and 

 the grog: this last is thicker and shorter than the 

 other sort, and of a darker colour. 



The favourite haunts of eels are still waters, 

 amongst weeds, under the roots of trees and large 

 stones, and in the clefts of the banks of rivers. 

 The habits of the eel are nocturnal, and the finest 

 and largest are usually caught with night-lines. 

 The best bait for angling is the lob-worm; the hook 

 small, about No. 3 or 4; and it is proper to use a 

 small plumb or pistol-bullet. They bite best in 

 dark cloudy weather, after showers attended with 

 thunder and lightning. 



Sniggling or boggling for eels is only to be 

 practised on a warm day, when the waters are low. 

 This requires a strong line, and a small hook baited 

 with a lob-worm. Put the line into the top of a 

 thin stick (which you must split a little way, to 

 hold it), about a foot and a half from the bait, and 



