pike's mouth — calves' tail, bait. 161 



of the way, and tlie pike having got np stream, had too 

 much way on them to avoid a collision ; the head of 

 the smallest becoming thus impacted in the open mouth 

 of the larger one. 



I strongly advise my readers to make a preparation 

 of a pike's head. This is very easily done by cutting it 

 off, steeping it in spirits of wine or diluted carbolic acid, 

 then hanging it up to dry, the mouth being blocked 

 open with a stick. It will then be seen that there are 

 three plates of teeth in the back of the upper jaw, all of 

 which are as sharp-pointed as needles, and are set 

 directly backwards. The lower jaw is also armed with 

 a formidable set of lancet pointed teeth, so that it is 

 almost impossible for any object once impacted in a 

 pike's mouth ever to get back again. 



When in the 2nd Life Guards, my much-lamented 

 friend the late Colonel Martyn took the lease of Euislip 

 Reservoir, near Uxbridge; many happy days have I 

 spent there fishing for pike from a punt. Colonel 

 Martyn was particularly fond of what he called the 

 ^' calves'-tail " bait for pike, a description of which I 

 have never before published. 



Procure the tip of the tail of a brown calf ; remove 

 the bone and substitute a slip of cork ; make a head 

 with a champagne cork ; put into it boot buttons for 

 eyes ; attach a piece of leather boot-lace for a tail, and 

 dress with ordinary hooks. These big lake pike, who 

 are very artful fellows, will not be up to this calves'-tail 

 bait — they mil take it for a swimming water-rat, and 

 the chances are that they will snap at it, especially on 

 a windy day. 



12 



