74 BAITS USED IN SCOTLAND. [PART I. 
called “génsers!”), cockles, mussels, and pieces of 
fish, principally whiting and herring. These baits 
I have arranged according to the estimation in 
which I think they are generally held, regard being 
also had to the comparative difficulty of procuring 
them, which of course differs on different parts of 
the coast. Fish, as bait, stand somewhat apart 
from the others, as they are generally only used 
when others fail, though they occasionally answer 
extremely well, herrings especially. 
In Scotland the baits used, so far as my obser- 
vation extends, are more limited, as they seem to 
discard the use of lug, at least along the West 
coast, and to rely almost exclusively on mussels 
and cockles, the former being decidedly preferred. 
Pieces of herring, whiting, and the power-cod, are 
however much depended on, especially herring, 
than which it is indeed perhaps impossible to find 
a better bait. The worst of mussels is, that they 
are so difficult to bait with and so easily pulled off 
the hooks. This is, to some extent, obviated by 
par-boiling them, but unfortunately the fish decid- 
edly prefer them au naturel. In baiting with 
mussels, the hook should always be first run 
through a small dark heart-shaped substance, po- 
1 Qu. from cancer ? 
