BOAT-FISHING. 179 
grey mullet, a lump of Parmesan cheese tied toa 
small cork bung, the latter being set afloat just 
before fishing, when the particles of cheese would 
crumble into the water and attract the grey mullet 
from all quarters. 
It will thus be seen that, without all the mysteri- 
ous selection and baiting of “pitches” over night, 
or the adjustment to the material of the hook-bait, 
the principle of attracting fish to the neighbourhood 
of the hooks, and, what is almost more important, 
keeping them there (almost all sea-fish being of a 
more or less roving disposition), may be introduced 
with excellent results into angling in the sea. One 
more hint, which I have not yet given. Allusion 
has been made to those vagrant robbers, the crabs, 
which are so unremitting in their attentions to the 
bottom hook. A good plan for keeping them at 
reasonable distance is to tie half-a-dozen fish-heads 
—your fishmonger will supply these daily, gratis— 
to large stones, which are then pitched in the water 
at some little distance from the boat. To these 
the crabs of the vicinity will quickly attach them- 
selves; and such is the fighting instinct beneath 
their corselets, any that chance to shuffle that way 
will soon join in the mé¢e, leaving the ground-hook 
to the flat fish. I mention this under the heading 
of ground-bait, because it is more than likely that 
the fish-heads may also attract fish in your 
direction. 
In taking leave of this important subject, the 
claims of which are not as yet fully recognised by 
the sea-fisherman, I may say that ground-bait is 
less necessary among rocks than on the sand, there 
being enough weed and animal life to attract fish 
of all kinds, while there is often the additional 
N 2 
