11'4 FISHES AND FISHING. 



swallow, will be pursued by his companions eager to 

 share the spoil, and tear it from his beak."^ The 

 voracity of the pike is well known. When a youth, 

 I was angling with a live bait, a gudgeon ; I hooked 

 a small jack, about three quarters of a pound ; he was 

 hooked by rather a large hook, by the upper lip, and 

 as I was drawing him to land, a pike of about seven 

 pounds dashed at him, and was hooked by the hook 

 and gudgeon which protruded from the lip of the 

 small one, so by a quick use of a landing-net I had 

 two fish. In this case I think the large fish was at- 

 tracted by the gudgeon hanging from the mouth of 

 the small one ; this confirms my opinion that the trout 

 are attracted in like manner by the fly hanging from 

 the hooked trout. 



In the '' Heading Mercury," an account was in- 

 serted, that a lad aged fifteen, named Longhurst, went 

 into Inglemere pond, near Ascot Heath, to bathe ; 

 when he hud walked in to the depth of about four 

 feet, a huge fish, supposed to be a pike, suddenly rose 

 to the surface and seized the boy's arm ; however, 

 finding resistance, he abandoned it, but still followed 

 and caught hold of the other hand, which he bit very 



* Oppian, book iii., verse 440 to 450, attributes tbis action of 

 the fish to friendship, and commiseration on the part of the fish 

 who are at liberty toward one in trouble. But I think my ex- 

 planation is the most correct. 



