152 



HARDWICKE'S SC I E NCE -G O SSIP. 



angry look than he. And liis looks only reflected 

 his feelings ; for had his jaws not been fixed by the 

 minnow that projected from them, he certainly 

 would have bitten me. Carelessly handling them 

 in the bottom of a sccop net, they have more than 

 once seized my finger, and held ou like grim death. 

 We well remember seeing one once w'ith a firm 

 hold upon a lamprey {Petromyzon), and in spite of 

 all the latter's exertions and vehement rubbing 

 against stones and the exposed roots of the over- 

 hanging trees, the Pirate held on, apparently 



the projecting portion of the sMallowed minnow, he 

 was brought nose to nose with his fellow, and there 

 they remained the greater part of a day. 



In May (in New Jersey) the young fish make 

 their appearance, and are a favourite food of the 

 adult fish, which will account for the fact of the 

 species not being as abundant as the many cypri- 

 uoids we have, known as "Roach," "Chub," 

 '' Dace," and " Shiners." 



The "Pirate" is found in' the majority of the 

 streams along our seaboard, from New York to 



Fig. 103. The Pirate-fish (Aphrodedenis sayanus). 



forcing its teeth deeper and deeper into the lam- 

 prey's flesh, judging by the movements of his head 

 and jaws. Presently he loosed his hold very sud- 

 denly, and was gone like a flash; and the cause 

 proved to be that a new enemy, in the shape of a 

 cat-fish {Amiurus), had intruded upon his favourite 

 haunt, the tangled roots of a water-birch that stood 

 upon the very edge of the stream. 



If undisturbed, the " Pirate " will remain, during 

 the day, among these roots, gently moving to and 

 fro a distance of about one-fourth his length, pro- 

 pelling and receding by a scarcely discernible move- 

 ment of his pectoral fins. On the approach of 

 evening, however, a disposition to move about shows 

 itself, and slowly, without apparent object, he 

 wanders here and there, until he finds one or more 

 minnows near him, when his whole manner changes, 

 and, all activity, he chases these little fish until an 

 opportunity presents itself, when, with a rapidity of 

 movement equal to that of a pike, he rushes upon 

 his victim and swallows it, almost invariably head- 

 foremost. As is frequently the case, the swallowed 

 fish is too large for the throat of the swallower, and 

 in that case, he resumes his favourite position, and 

 there remains until the fish has been digested, or he 

 has been enabled to wear away with his teeth 

 the projecting portion of ,the swallowed fish. This 

 habit is easily demonstrated by confining the 

 "Pirate" in an aquarium, where we ohce saw a 

 still stranger sight, as but one minnow was allowed 

 to two " Pirates," and the smaller having seized 



Louisiana, a long stretch of land, and one that in- 

 cludes three or four distinct ichthyic faunas, this 

 being one of the few species that is common to 

 them all. 



Trenton, New Jersey. U. S. A. 



THE CHARLOCK. 

 By Major Holland, R.M.L.I. 



IN Sowerby's English Botany there are coloured 

 plates and full descriptions of three distinct 

 plants, each popularly or provincially known as 

 Charlock. All three belong to the order Crucifera ; 

 two are species of the genus Raphanus, and the 

 third is a species of the genus Brassica. It is about 

 the latter — the Charlock, or Corn Mustard — 

 Brassica Sinapistnim— that I am about to gossip. 

 The Erencli call it Moutarde des champs, an apt 

 designation, which at once distinguishes and 

 identifies it, denotes its generic or specific aifinities, 

 and tells us of its habitat ; the German name Ber 

 Acker Senf has precisely the same signiGcation as 

 the French. 



" It is a troublesome weed oifarable land through- 

 out England, but is capable of being used when 

 boiled as a pot-herb, and is so employed in Sweden 

 and Ireland. It is much relished by cattle, and 

 especially by sheep, but is nowhere cultivated as 

 fodder. The seeds form a good substitute for 



