THE COMPLETE ANGLEK. 199 



of the crumbs of bread, which should be of pure fine manchet ; 

 and that paste must be so tempered betwixt your hands, till 

 it be both soft and tough too ; a very little water, and time 

 and labour, and clean hands, will make it a most excellent 

 paste : but when you fish with it, you must have a small 

 Look, a quick eye, and a nimble hand, or the bait is lost, and 

 the fish too ; if one may lose that which he never had. With 

 this paste you may, as I said, take both the ROACH and DACE 

 or DARE, for they be much of a kind in matter of feeding, 



cunning, goodness, and usually in size. And therefore, take 

 this general direction for some other baits which may concern 

 you to take notice of. They will bite almost at any fly, but 

 especially at ant-flies ; concerning which, take this direction, 

 for it is very good : 



Take the blackish ant-fly out of the mole-hill or ant-hill, 

 in which place you shall find them in the month of June, or 

 if that be too early in the year, then doubtless you may find 

 them in July, August, and most of September ; gather them 

 alive with both their wings, and then put them into a glass 

 that will hold a quart or a pottle ; but first put into the glass 

 a handful or more of the moist earth out of which you gather 

 them, and as much of the roots of the grass of the said hillock, 

 and then put in the flies gently, that they lose not their wings : 

 lay a clod of earth over it, and then so many as are put into 

 the glass without bruising, will live there a month or more, 

 and be always in a readiness for you to fish with ; but if you 

 would have them keep longer, then get any great earthen pot, 

 or barrel of three or four gallons, which is better, then wash 

 your barrel with water and honey, and having put into it a 

 quantity of earth and grass roots, then put in your flies, and 



