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more especially towards the north. It is more rare in the 

 south. It has even been asserted that there were no pikes in 

 Spain or Portugal, but this is an error, at least as to the 

 former of those countries : it has also been said that there 

 were none in England before 1537, and that it was under the 

 reign of Henry the Eighth that they were introduced into this 

 kingdom, but the truth of this assertion has been called in 

 question. There are some remarkably fine pikes in the lake 

 Thrasymene, in Italy. According to M. Bosc they are found 

 in abundance in all the north of Asia and America ; that na- 

 turalist caught some in Carolina which he could not possibly 

 distinguish from those of France. 



In many districts of France the pike, in consequence of its 

 voracity, is called poisson-loup. It devours animals almost 

 as large as itself: it preys with avidity on frogs, serpents, 

 rats, young ducks, and other aquatic birds, and even on 

 dogs and cats which are thrown into the water just after they 

 are born. Rondelet relates, that in the Rhine a pike once 

 seized with its teeth the under lip of a mule that was drink- 

 ing, and did not let go until the animal had removed to some 

 distance from the water. It has been remarked, however, that 

 notwithstanding its gluttony, it can very well discriminate 

 between the substances that are suitable to it or otherwise. 

 A pike has been observed to receive and swallow some frogs 

 that were thrown to it, but to reject a toad which was after- 

 wards flung into the water. The consumption which it makes 

 of fish is so great that a single aged individual is sufficient to 

 depopulate an entire pond. Accordingly, much care is ne- 

 cessary, at the time of the fishery, not to leave any pikes of 

 large size, and to put in but a small number of young ones, 

 if it be desired that the following fishery shall be productive. 



The pike is not only dangerous from its size, the force of 

 its muscles, and the number of its weapons, but also from the 

 extent of its cunning and the resources of its instinct. 



