78 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PARTI/ 



shrubs, or of several kinds of birds in the air : of which I 

 shall say no more, but tell you, that what worms soever 

 you fish with, are the better for being well scoured, that 

 is, long kept before they be used : and in case you have 

 not been so provident, then the way to cleanse and scour 

 them quickly, is, to put them all night in water, if they 

 be lob-worms, and then put them into your bag with fen- 

 Bel. But you must not put your brandlings above an 

 hour in water, and then put them into fennel, for sudden 

 use : but if you have time, and purpose to keep them long, 

 then they be best preserved in an earthen pot, with good 

 store of moss, which is to be fresh every three or four 

 days in summer, and every week or eight days in winter ; 

 or, at least, the moss taken from them, and clean washed, 

 and wrung betwixt your hands till it be dry, and then put 

 it to them again. And when your worms, especially the 

 brandling, begins to be sick and lose of his bigness, then 

 you may recover him, by putting a little milk or cream, 

 (about a spoonful in a day,) into them, by drops on the 

 moss ; and if there be added to the cream an egg beaten 

 and boiled in it, then it will both fatten and preserve 

 them long. 1 And note, that when the knot, which is near 

 to the middle of the brandling, begins to swell, then he 

 is sick ; and, if he be not well looked to, is near dying/ 

 And for moss, you are to note, that there be divers kinds 

 of it, which I could name to you, but I will only tell you 

 that that which is likest a buck's-horn is the best, except 



(1) The following is also an excellent way ; viz. Take a piece of hop-sack, or 

 other very coarse cloth, and wash it clean, and let it dry ; then wet it in the 

 liquor wherein beef has been boiled, (but be careful that the beef is fresh, for 

 salt will kill the worms,) and wring it, but not quite dry ; put the worms into 

 this cloth, and lay them in an earthen pet, and let them stand from morning till 

 night; then take the worms from the cloth and wash it, and wet it again in 

 some of the liquor : do thus once M-day, aud you may keep worms in perfect 

 health, and fit for use, for near a month. 



Observe that the lolworin, marsh worm, and red-worm, will bear more 

 scouring than any others, and are better for long keeping. 



(2) Naturalists reckon abore two hundred. 



