600 IHhe, 



for they are very voracious, and will seize the minute fry of 

 their own species with the fury of a pike. 



^Argiilus folidceus Jurine, fils. (VI. 94.)] They suffer, in 

 common with some other river fish, very much from a flat- 

 shaped parasitical insect, which adheres closely to them; 

 and, from the tenacity of its hold, frustrates every effort of 

 the fish to remove it. This insect is, I believe, the A'rgulus 

 foliaceus of Jurine, fils. Several times during the period of 

 my keeping the fish, this summer, I detached as many as six 

 of these troublesome insects from one fish. 



When the fishes are fighting, it is difficult to perceive them 

 use their side spines (unless they are very closely observed) ; 

 they strike so quickly, and often so fatally, with them. I had, 

 this summer, one determined fellow, which, although con- 

 stantly worsted, never failed to attack its neighbour whenever 

 a fair opportunity offered. I turned it in where four others 

 had their respective stations in the tub ; and it successively, 

 but in vain, tried to take possession of their places : at last, it 

 fixed itself in an unoccupied part of the tub, and effectually 

 resisted every effort of the others to depose it. 



I have always failed in my attempts to keep these fish 

 through the winter ; therefore, I am uncertain how long they 

 live: but I suspect that they do not live longer than two 

 years. They disappeared here, from their usual haunts, by 

 the end of June ; since which, I have not seen any. — O, 

 Clapton^ Sept., 1834. 



[See, in III. 521 — 523., descriptions by Mr. Yarrell, illus- 

 trated by figures, of three British species of stickleback.] 



The Pike has been seen to capture a live Rat nsohen this nsoas 

 tm)imming on the Surface of the Water. — An informant has 

 witnessed, at Tottenham Mills, an incident to this amount : — 

 One day, while parties concerned were unloading a large 

 barge of corn, two or three persons, with their dogs, were 

 looking out for the rats, which made their appearance every 

 now and then ; and, by being driven overboard, afforded 

 sport for the dogs. While these were in chase of one, and 

 swimming and barking, and the men on shore shouting and 

 urging them on, up rose a large jack, and, within a yard of 

 the dogs, collared poor Nibble, and carried him down to the 

 shades below, flapping its tail, in a very significant manner, 

 in the faces of dogs and men ; to their no small astonish- 

 ment, for they never saw more of either the captured or 

 captor. — John Reynolds, 23. Chadwell Street, Middleton 

 Square, Sept., 1834. 



A Pike stated to have caught a Swallow on the Wing. -— A 

 young gentleman, walking in Mr. Longster's garden, Malton, 



