PIKE. 153 



of the other fishes which had been placed in this pond were 

 one Tench, that weighed a pound and a half, and eight Crucians 

 of about a pound each;" and he adds, "I cannot have the 

 smallest doubt that the Pike devoured the fish that were missing, 

 and these nine that remained only escaped because they were 

 rather too large for these Pikes to swallow." But in addition 

 to this, the same gentleman remarks, that in fact the Pike is 

 doubly destructive of Tench, as well as of other fish, "not only 

 devouring such as are of a size suitable to the capacity of his 

 jaws and stomach, but also by seizing, mutilating, and finally 

 destroying others which are too large to be so disposed of." 



The formidable array of teeth in the mouth of the Pike must 

 present an eflfectual barrier to the escape of any prey when 

 once it has been grasped within the jaws; but this armature is 

 of further use in crushing the life from the creature that is 

 seized; and then it is conveyed away to a retreat, in order to 

 its being passed into the stomach in a more deliberate manner. 

 The usual haunts of the Pike are in the stiller waters of 

 slow-floAving rivers, and ponds where weeds are growing; in 

 which situations it lies in wait for any tempting prey that may 

 come withiir sight, and from Avhich it makes excursions in 

 search of any living thing that may satisfy its hunger. On this 

 it rushes with a violence well described in an extract given by 

 Dr.' Badham, in his "Fish Tattle," from which we quote it: 

 "Shrouded from observation in his solitary retreat, he follows 

 with his eye the motions of the shoals of fish that wander 

 heedlessly along; he marks the water-rat swimming to his 

 burrow, the ducklings paddling among the water-weeds, the 

 dabchick and the waterhen leisurely swimming on the surface; 

 he selects his victim, and, like the tiger springing from the jungle, 

 he rushes forth, seldom indeed missing his aim; there is a sudden 

 rush, circle after circle forms on the surface of the water, and 

 all is still again in an instant;" and in this manner it sometimes 

 happens that a pond is almost, wholly deprived of its most 

 valued inhabitants, the solitary Pike being left, like some human 

 tyrants, to reign and starve in gloomy grandeur over a kingdom 

 destitute of inhabitants. 



This fish is known in almost every part of England except 

 Cornwall; and the lake or pond of Slap ton Ley, in Devonshire, 

 is the only part of that county in which I can find it has 

 VOL IV X 



