PRACTICAL ESSAY. 



255 



Ground-baiting beforehand is advisable when practicable ; and 

 if you can bait two or three places, so that when the fish leave off 

 biting at one, you can throw in a little fresh ground-bait and go to 

 another, by alternating between them you have a better chance of 

 sport than by sticking to one. 



On hot days carp swim about at the surface of the water, their 

 great tails and back fins sticking out above it. At such time I 

 have dropped a worm on to their very noses ay, and even into 

 their mouths and they have just shook their heads disdainfully, 

 and waddled off. Carp seem to feed in twos and threes, those of a 

 size keeping together ; and when a companion and myself have 

 been fishing at the same time, we have had bites at the same time, 

 and often landed our fish at the same time. This occurred five or 

 six times one afternoon, and with long intervals between the bites. 



Green peas, potatoes, beans, pastes, large flies, and many other 

 baits, are used for carp, but none are so sure as a bright red worm. 



Carp can be tamed so as to come to the side when called, and 

 fed from the hand. They are very hard to kill, and will live a long 

 time out of water, bearing transport for a great distance if packed 

 in wet moss. They are of very slow growth. 



