244 THE PIKE 



fairly landed and secured. Daniel also mentions an instance of a 

 yearling calf pulling ashore a pike that weighed thirty five pounds, 

 which had fastened on its lip, whilst in the act of drinking in the 

 Blackwater river near Youghall. It could scarcely have seized on 

 the calf for mere hunger, as an entire perch and a water rat were 

 found in the fish's stomach : food surely sufficient for one meal at 

 least. 



An instance also occurred at Lord Gower's canal at Trentham, 

 of a pike seizing the head of a swan when feeding under the water, 

 but which proved an unlucky adventure for fish as well as fowl ; 

 the former strangling the swan, and the head of the latter choking 

 the pike, and so terminating fatally to both. 



Gesner also mentions that a pike seized a maid by the foot as 

 she was washing clothes in a pond in Poland, and Walton relates 

 the like of a woman in Killingworth pond, not far from Coventry. 

 He also mentions that a friend of his, Mr. Seagrave, (who kept 

 tame otters, which he had trained to catch fish, and do many other 

 things of much pleasure,) informed him that he had known a pike 

 in extreme hunger, fight with one of his otters for a carp the ot- 

 ter had caught, and was bringing out of the water. Mr. Yarrell 

 also states that the head keeper of Richmond pond was once wash- 

 ing his hands over the side of a boat in the great pond in that park, 

 when a pike made a dash at it, and he had but just time to with- 

 draw it. Mr. Jesse too, relates that a gentleman (Major Payne) 

 who resided in Weybridge in Surrey, walking one day by the side 

 of the river Wey, near that town, saw a large pike in a shallow 

 creek, he immediately pulled off his coat, tucked up his shirt 

 sleeves and went into the water to intercept the return of the fish 

 to the river, and to endeavour to throw it upon the bank by get- 

 ting his hands under it. During this attempt the fish, finding he 

 could not make his escape, seized on one of the arms of his assail- 

 ant, and lacerated it so much that the marks of the wound were 

 then still visible. 



A singular instance of a pike not being over nice in his fare 

 occurred a few years since to my elder brother, whom I have al- 

 ready brought before the notice of my readers.* He was fishing in 

 the river Itchen near the paper mill at Westend. He had put to- 



* Se ante, p. 2, 3, 6. 



