SCOURING WORMS. 233 



" The process of worm-scouring is somewhat 

 mechanical. It must be obvious that by insi- 

 nuating themselves, in their attempts to escape, 

 between the fibrous parts of hard vegetable sub- 

 stances, they compress all excrementitious matter 

 out of their bodies. Sound moss is the best 

 scourer, as being a matter that is in a state mid- 

 way 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 dila- 

 tibility. 



" Having carefully freed a quantity of such 

 moss from grass, &c., but particularly from 

 thorns, moisten it, and put in a sufficient quan- 

 tity with the worms, which, in three or four days, 

 will be properly scoured, appearing then bright 

 and more active than when first taken. They 

 should, during their scouring, be examined daily, 

 and those which are injured and diseased ought to 

 be carefully separated from the rest, or all will 

 participate in such injury or disease. Some 

 anglers hastily scour their lob-worms by plunging 

 them into water for a few hours, and placing 

 them in moss afterwards. 



(i To preserve worms for use. Shred some 

 hard fat, without a particle of salt in it, suet 

 is the best, and mutton kidney suet best of 

 all. Having chopped it into small pieces, and 



