MINNOW. 81 



other, baiting the hooks with either lob-worms, 

 Minnows, Loaches, or Bullheads ; make fast 

 one end of the line to the bank, and tie to the 

 other end a piece of lead, or a stone ; then cast 

 the lead, or stone, across the river, or pond, in 

 a sloping direction, and let it remain there all 

 night ; take it up at day-break next morning, 

 and if the night has been favourable, that is, 

 warm and dark, you may be almost sure to have 

 an Eel at every hook. 



MINNOW. 



THE Minnow frequents almost all the clear 

 and gravelly streams in England ; this well-known 

 species may be numbered among the most beau- 

 tiful of the British fishes; it seldom exceeds 

 the length of three inches, and is of a slender 

 and elegant shape ; it varies in colour more 

 than any other fish; the backs of some are 

 green, some of a blueish cast, and some of a 

 pale brown ; the bellies are generally white, or 

 silvery, with a tinge of yellow, or bright red. 

 It appears first in March, and disappears at 

 the end of October, at which period it secretes 

 itself beneath the mud ; it usually assembles, in 

 bright weather, in small shoals in shallow pla- 

 ces, being particularly fond of warmth. 



