A PIKE STORY. 35 



pike in the pond. It appeared at first a good deal 

 relieved, but in a few minutes again plunged about 

 and threw itself a second time out of the water. 

 Dr. Warwick again did what he could to relieve 

 it, and put it back into the water. But as the fish 

 several times continued to throw itself out, he with 

 the assistance of the keeper made a kind of bandage 

 or pad for the fish, which was then left in the pond 

 to its fate. Upon the doctor making his appear- 

 ance there the next morning, the pike swam to the 

 edge of the water, the doctor examined the fish's 

 skull and found it going on all right. He then walked 

 backwards and forwards along the edge of the 

 pond for some time, and the fish continued to swim 

 up and down, turning whenever he turned ; but 

 being blind on the wounded side of the skull, ap- 

 peared to be agitated when it had that side towards 

 the bank, as it could not then see its benefactor. 

 The next day the doctor took some friends down 

 to see the fish, which came to him as before, 

 and at length he actually taught the pike to come 

 to him at his whistle and feed out of his hands. 

 Dr. Warwick thought this a remarkable instance 

 of gratitude in a fish for a benefit received ; and as 

 it always came to his whistle, it also proved, what he 

 had previously disbelieved, that fishes are sensible 

 to sound. This incident as related is vouched for 

 in Cassell's World of Wonders, from which it would 

 appear that gratitude is a trait in the character of 

 pike. In the " Badminton Library " (Coarse Fish) 

 at page 275, it is stated that "at Sir J. Bowyer's, 

 near Uxbridge, there is, or was, a pond full of tame 

 pike which could be called together at pleasure." 



From a gastronomic point of view pike from 

 those rivers that contain trout and salmon (the 



D 2 



