Class IV. PIKE. 32 1 



one of its own fpecies that proved too large a mor- 

 fel. Yet its jaws are very loofely connected -, and 

 have on each fide an additional bone like the jaw 

 of a viper, which renders them capable of greater 

 diftenfion when it fwallows its prey. It does not 

 confine itfelf to feed on fifh and frogs •, it will 

 devour the water rat, and draw down the young 

 ducks as they are fwimming about. In a manu* 

 fcript note which we found, p. 244, of our copy 

 of Plott's Hiftory of Stafford/hire, is the following 

 extraordinary fact : " At Lord Gower's canal ac 

 " Trentbaw, a pike feized the head of a fwan as 

 " fhe was feeding under water, and gorged fo 

 " much of it as killed them both. The fervants 

 " perceiving the fwan with its head under water 

 " for a longer time than ufual, took the boat 3 

 " and found both fwan and pike dead *." 



But there are inftances of its fiercenefs Rill more 

 furprizing, and which indeed border a little on the 

 marvellous. Gefnerf relates, that a famifhed pike 

 in the Rhone feized on the lips of a mule that was 

 brought to water, and that the beaft drew the fi(h 

 out before it could difengage itfelf. That people 

 have been bit by thefe voracious creatures while 

 they were wafhing their legs, and that they will 



* This note we afterwards difcovered was wrote by Mr. 

 Plott, of Oxford, who allured me he inferted it on good au^ 

 thority. 



f Gefner pifc. 503, 



Vol. III. T even 



