156 MR. jardine's monster pike. 



caught ill fair angling, b}^ means of a dace, snap-tackle, 

 and a cane rod, a grand pike, which, after having been 

 out of the water twelve hours, scaled 34flbs., so that it 

 was a good 351bs. fish. It measm-ed 46^in. in length. 

 This fish was taken to Mr. Kolfe, and its portrait was 

 put on canvas to form the centrepiece of the picture 

 which was presented to the Eight Hon. Anthony Mun- 

 della, M.P., in 1880, in acknowledgment of his great 

 public service in getting the Freshwater Fisheries Act 

 through Parliament. 



In February, 1877, Mr. Jardine was fortunate enough 

 to take with rod and line another pike weighing thirty- 

 six pounds, measuring 46in. in length, and 25in. in 

 girth. Immediately the fish was captured Mr. Jardine 

 brought her up on the top of a four-wheel cab, and while 

 Mr. Searle and I were casting the fish Mr. Jardine gave 

 us the following most interesting account of its capture, 

 which I took down at the time : 



For some days jpreviously to Mr. Jardine's arrival the 

 water where the pike lived had been very thick and 

 muddy ; in fact, like pea- soup. During this state of 

 things the pike had been short of food. With the clean 

 water arrived Mr. Jardine, who happened to find my 

 lady in the middle of her dinner. Previously to takmg 

 Mr. Jardine's baits she had swallowed no less than 

 fourteen roach and one perch, which were all, more or 

 less, in a state of semi-digestion. When Mr. Jardine 

 first felt the tug upon his line, he fancied ihat he had 

 hooked only a small fish, as the fish came along towards 

 him without much pulling. When, however, the fish 

 was struck smartly, she began to show fight — first of all 

 tried to make a bolt of it, and then rushed violently 

 through the water, with open mouth, towards Jardine, 

 the tightened line still in her jaws. 



