20 THE PIKE. 



to be, in the words of Polonius, " very like a whale," 

 most veracious historians agree that pike rarely 

 exceed 40 Ibs. in weight, at all events in these 

 islands. Frank Buckland tells of a pike which was 

 sent to him, caught with rod and line in one of the 

 Norfolk Broads. It weighed 32 Ibs. and measured 

 3 feet 8 inches in length ; the roe weighed 5 Ibs., 

 and contained no less than 595,200 eggs. 



On January 2nd, 1897, Lord Inverurie sought 

 information through The Fishing Gazette relative to 

 Lord In- s P ec i men P^ e f remarkable size caught 

 verurie's within the British Isles, with the waters 

 chronicle w j iere they were captured, modes em- 

 ployed, names of the anglers, authentic weights, 

 and other interesting details. 1 I had the pleasure 

 of furnishing to that angling journal the following 

 list of pike, whose weights had been vouched for, 

 and were beyond dispute ; there are but three 

 Irish fish recorded, it being difficult to verify the 

 reported weights of others caught in Irish waters. 



1869, October, 28 Ibs., caught in Loch Awe, by 

 Mr. G. Rooper. 



1870, April 2, 32 Ibs., caught in Norfolk, captor 

 not known. 



1874, October, 35 Ibs., netted in Rapley Lake, 

 Bagshot Park (see BucklancTs Fishes]. 



1875, January, 26i Ibs., caught with snap-tackle, 

 in Thames, Hampton Deeps, by Mr. Luton. 



1876, January 2, 21 Ibs., caught with snap, in river 

 Frome, Dorset, by A. Jardine. 



1876, July, 20 Ibs., caught with gut perch-pater- 

 noster, in Thames, Marlow, by Mr. Wm. Ritchie. 



1 While these pages are going through the press comes 

 the melancholy news of Lord Inveturie's death at the age 

 \>f twenty years. He was a keen and skilful angler. ED. 



