AND HOW TO CATCH THEM. 59 



fish take the bait much more freely, and when once 

 on the proper marks, little fear is to be entertained 

 of sport. The same mode of mounting the tackle is 

 to be observed as in chad fishing, described as chop- 

 sticks, only the hooks should be less JN"o. 4 Kirby 

 trout pattern, tied on gut. The best bait for pouting 

 is the mud- worm, of which a piece jusfc large enough 

 to cover the hook should be used, leaving no tail hang- 

 ing. In the absence of mud-worms, whelks, soldier 

 crabs, or small pieces of fish, such as pilchard or chad, 

 may be made use of. Let your sinker run to the ground, 

 when your line should be drawn up an arm's length, 

 and kept moving up and dawn until a bite is felt, 

 when a quick upward jerk will serve to fix the hook. 



The Whiting. 



FAM., Gadidce. 



The excellence of the whiting as an article of food 

 is a point on which little difference of opinion exists, 

 and it is a favourite at the tables of both the rich and 

 poor, both in its fresh and preserved state ; buckhorn, 

 as dried whiting is called, being considered a great 

 delicacy, and, when carefully prepared, commanding a 

 very high price in the market. "Whiting fishing affords 

 employment to a great number of fishermen on our 

 coasts, and it may be considered a fish of considerable 

 commercial importance, and is found on nearly all the 

 coast range of both England and Ireland, as well as 



