Fishermen often use lugworms for bait, and although these constitute one of the best baits for their own fishing, they are not so suitable for the purposes of the amateur angler, fishing with small hooks close to shore. They may be dug out of the sand when the tide is out, and are most abundant where the sand is mixed with mud. A spade should be used, and this should be thrust deep into the sand, selecting those spots where the holes or burrows of the worms most abound. Lugworms should be used whole; and being of large size, are suitable for baiting large hooks only. They may be kept alive in wet sand or sea-weed, preferably the latter for convenience, and stored till required in a wooden box. Ragworms also afford good bait, and are particularly adapted for shore angling with small hooks. Almost all the fishes that frequent our shores take them readily, but they are not to be found in all localities. They are to be taken, though not usually in large numbers, on rocky shores where numerous stones lie among the somewhat muddy deposits of the more sheltered nooks, where they may be seen on turning over the stones. The best situation for ragworms, however, is the more or less odoriferous mud so frequently deposited in the estuaries of rivers and in landlocked harbours. Here they maybe dug out in enormous numbers with a spade, attention being directed to those spots where their burrows are most numerous. They are best stored with a little of the mud in a shallow wooden box provided with a sliding, perforated lid. [Illustration: FIG. 29.--THE RAGWORM] Failing a supply of the marine worms just mentioned, the common earthworm may be used as a substitute, but it is decidedly less attractive to the fishes; and the same may be said of gentles--the larvæ or grubs of flies. The latter may be bred in large numbers by simply placing a piece of liver in the soil with only a small portion exposed. If this is done in the summer time, hundreds of eggs will soon be deposited on it, and in about a week or so it will be found to be a living mass of fat white grubs, perhaps more useful to the fresh-water angler than to his marine counterpart. Among the so-called shell fish of the class _mollusca_, mussels, limpets, cockles, and whelks are all largely used for bait. The last of these are too large for our purpose, but form a splendid bait for deep-sea fishing, while the other three, and especially the mussels, are well suited for shore work. Mussels, in fact, provide one of the best possible baits for almost all kinds of shore fishing, the only drawback being the excessive softness of their bodies, which enables them to be easily torn from the hook. When small hooks are used, mussels of a small size may be used whole, or the larger ones may be divided into portions of suitable size; and in any case it will be found a good plan to tie the bait to the hook with a short piece of cotton thread. [Illustration: FIG. 30.--DIGGING FOR BAIT]