154 ROYAL PIKE FROM WINDSOR. 



In Oct., 1874, His Koyal Highness Prince Christian 

 was kind enough to send up Keene, the head fisherman 

 of Windsor Park, w^ith the most splendid pike I ever 

 beheld. Having understood that Ptapley Lake near 

 Bagshot Park, which belongs to the Eoyal domain, had 

 not been dragged for upwards of fifty years, Mr. Keene 

 put in the nets in order to report to the Prince what 

 stock of fish he had there. The net brought out a 

 number of carp, teuch, &c. Keene thought from the 

 jump of something in the net that he had caught an 

 unusually large fish. When the net shoaled, he was 

 delighted to find a monster pike in it ; the fish ran 

 between his legs, and nearly upset him. He took 

 his prize at once to Cumberland Lodge to the Prince, 

 who was good enough to send it on to me immediately. 

 This magnificent fish weighed no less than thirty-Sve 

 pounds ; length 3ft. lO^in. , girth 2ft. I never saw a fish in 

 such perfect condition before. The eye was exceedingly 

 beautiful, the head shone like smoked mother-o'-pearl, 

 every scale was perfect, and fins as red as a perch ; 

 four black bars extended from some distance from the 

 tail upwards, giving the fish a zebra-like appearance. 

 Mr. Keene asked me what I thought the age of the 

 fish. I guessed ofi'hand from twelve to fifteen years ; 

 and it really appears I was not far wrong, for about 

 twelve years before, Sir James Clark's butler put six or 

 eight jack weighing about a pound a half each into 

 Eapley Lake. 



This fish w^as a female, and contained over fort3"-three 

 thousand eggs. 



I resrretted much that this h'eshwater shark was not 

 kept alive, and sent either to Westminster or Brighton 

 Aquarium. 



I made a cast of this fish, which w^as afterwards 



