VARIETIES OF WORMS. 47 



water in whicli walnuts or their green shells have been boiled) 

 will, it is said, bring them speedily to the surface j but it is 

 better to dig for them in moist mould or in the bottom 

 "of a ditch. Sometimes a stick or a poker thrust into the 

 ground and well shaken will make them come to the surface. 



2. The hlue-head is a common worm in Ireland, and 

 not unfrequent in England. Its head is blue — its body 

 of a cream colour, without nobs, and the skin of its belly 

 feels " sharply rough " to the finger. It scours readily, 

 and lives loog in the water. It is an excellent bait ; salmon 

 and trout bite at it readily, and few river-fish will pass it 

 by. They are sometimes to be found in commons, in rich 

 garden imould, round the roots of plants. It must not be 

 confounded with the marsh-worm, which is only fit for 

 ground-bait. 



3. Brandlings are found in old dunghiUs, and are capital 

 worms. They are striped across the back with red and 

 yellow. They should be well scoured in a piece of old 

 netting, or rag. 



4. Red-worms. Those pinkish-coloured, thin ivory 

 worms, common in old tan-heaps, are a good tough worm 

 for small fish. They are also found in old dung-heaps, 

 where the manure and soil meet, and occasionally by the 

 side of ditches. They must be lightly handled, and the 

 hook must be small-sized and light in the wire. They are 

 the best bait for gudgeons, and perhaps the best general 

 bait for all fish. 



5. Blood-worms are found in the excrement of horned 

 cattle. They are also found in farmyards. They are 

 ibout an inch in length, and are a killing bait if two or 

 three are put on the hook together, for small fish. 



6. Tag-tail worms have the recommendation of being 



