BAITS, AND TilEIR USE. 89 



testinal matter, and soft by the increased secretions of 

 their bodies. By purging them from the earth they 

 contain, they are rendered more bright; and on being 

 cleansed from all faeculences, they prove much more 

 palatable to the fish. All this process of cleansing 

 promotes absorption of superfluous moisture; they also 

 become thereby firm, or, as it is termed, tough, which 

 is of much consequence to the fisherman, since in this 

 state they are more readily put on the hook, and re- 

 tained on it. The process of worm-scouring is some- 

 what mechanical. It must be obvious, that by in- 

 sinuating themselves, in their attempts to escape, 

 between the fibrous parts of hard vegetable substances, 

 they compress all excrementitious matter out of their 

 bodies. Sound moss is the best scourer, as being a 

 matter that is in a state midway between dry and 

 moist. If the scouring matter, whatever it is, be too 

 moist, their breathing pores are stopped up; and if too 

 dry, the same effect follows, from the orifices losing 

 their dilatability. Having carefully freed a quantity 

 of such moss from grass &c., but particularly from 

 thorns, moisten it, and put in a sufficient quantity with 

 the worms, which, in three or four days, will be pro- 

 perly scoured, appearing then bright and more active 

 than when first taken. They should, during their 

 scouring, be examined daily, and those which are in- 

 jured and diseased ought to be carefully separated from 

 the rest, or all will participate in such injury or dis- 

 ease. Some anglers hastily scour their lob-worms by 

 plunging them into water for a few hours, and placing 

 them in moss afterwards. 



" To preserve worms for use, shred some hard fat, 

 without a particle of salt in it; suet is the best, and 



