FISHING FROM PIERS AND HARBOURS. 105 
Harbour after lugworm (though, in these days of 
bicycles, lug finds its way to Bournemouth far more 
frequently than it did five or ten ycars ago), an 
occasional squid from the diver’s net, or some half 
stale, and wholly exorbitant, mackerel from the 
fishmonger. The mussel, however, meets every 
requirement, as not only is it to be had for nothing, 
or at most a small payment to one of the pier 
attendants for scraping the piles with a rake, but, 
fortunately, the fish of that bay seem to prefer it to 
anything else, living or dead. When I say that 
I have more than once known local pollack to 
take it in preference to the living sand-cel, 
and that it will beat the Jugworm on three days 
out of every four, the esteem in which it is held 
will no longer be doubted. It is remarkable, 
when one comes to think of it, that so many fish 
take mussel as if it were their natural food, al- 
though their teeth are not by any means adapted 
to breaking the shell. Possibly, the very novelty 
of the thing may appeal. I have mentioned a 
score of species that have, to my own knowledge, 
been taken from this pier, but it must not therefore 
be imagined that the half of them are to be found 
in its neighbourhood throughout the year. Indeed, 
the only resident kinds are the flat fish, plaice, and 
lemon-soles for the most part, and even these keep 
in the sand during the colder months, and refuse 
bait of any sort. The sand-smelts and sand-eels 
come along the coast in May and remain till 
October, their stay coinciding with that of our 
later migrant birds; the bass are only irregular 
August visitors, being far commoner some years 
than others; while the dory and pollack are at- 
tracted mainly by the smaller visitors, and time 
their stay accordingly. I know of no pier on our 
