TO SCOUR AND PRESERVE WORMS. 27 



or April, if the weather is mild and temperate, 

 and is a most excellent bait. 



This is an excellent bait for a trout, if you an- 

 gle with it whilst the water is discoloured by rain. 



HOW TO SCOUR AND PRESERVE WORMS. 



Get a quantity of moss, the best is that which 

 is soft and white, and grows on heaths, but as this 

 is scarce to be had in some parts, in lieu of it any 

 kind that is fresh and sweet ; rinse it well from the 

 earth that hangs about, and then wring it very 

 dry : put your worms and it into an earthen pot, 

 cover it close that they do not crawl away, and 

 set it in a cool place in summer, and in winter in 

 a warm one, which will prevent the frost from 

 killing them : change the moss every fourth day 

 in summer, and once a week in winter, or at least 

 let the old moss be taken from them^' washed, 

 squeezed pretty dry, and put it to them again. If 

 you want them to be quickly scoured, a little bok- 

 ammoniac put to them will accomplish your desire; 

 or you may put them in water for three or four 

 hours, and they will soon be scoured, yet be very 

 weak, but beiog put to good moss, they will spee- 

 dily recover. When the knot near the middle of 

 the brandling begins to swell, he is sick; and for 

 fear they should die, feed them with crumbs of 

 bread, and with the yolk of art egg and sweet 

 cream coagulated over the fire. Never steep your 

 worms in moss to scour them above ten days, in 

 which time they will be perfectly fit for use. 



There is another way of cleansing and preserv- 

 ing worms recommended by many anglers, and is 

 a very good one for every kind of them except 

 the lob-worm : take a piece of very coarse cloth, 



D 



