200 WOODLAND, MOOR, AND STREAM 



FRESH-WATER FISHES 



THE reader must not expect any scientific description 

 or minute detail. I give only a few sketches from 

 life, from notes made by river, lake, pond, and stream 

 as I wandered rod in hand. First on my list I find 

 the pike or jack, a fish well fitted for the life he leads, 

 a life of almost indiscriminate swallowing. It would 

 be hard to say what he will not take into that mouth 

 of his when he is hungry. If you were to fish for 

 him with the bowl of a teaspoon he would snap it ; 

 half-a-crown properly used is a sure bait. He will 

 swallow a frog or a dead kitten ; he is not at all 

 particular except under certain circumstances, which 

 shall be explained further on. His form tells you at 

 a glance his mode of life ; swift and strong he is 

 when in good condition and in good water. The 

 colouring of his back and sides is mottled green of 

 two shades, dotted with bright yellow spots, and 

 white on the belly. The pectoral and ventral fins 

 are pale brown, and the dorsal, anal, and caudal ones 



