A BOOK OF FISHING STORIES 



of that year's hatching, and about 120 jack of eighteen months 

 old and upwards, weighing up to i| lb. But the striking 

 thing was that there were no pike at all between about i| lb. 

 and about 6 lb. weight. 



It may be that the two large fish were two tiny individuals 

 of the 1897 hatch that escaped extinction. But the rest of 

 the larger fish were evidently all of the same year, i.e. they 

 were hatched from the spawn of 1898, which survived after 

 the water was let back into the moat. It is clear, therefore, 

 from the gap in the size, i.e. none between i^ and 6 lb. weight, 

 compared with the known dates, that these pike did not 

 begin to breed until they were three years old. 



The theory, and the facts on which it is based, can best 

 be put into tabular form : 



As regards growth, it is clear that the fish of six to nine 

 pounds had acquired the size in just about six years and a half. 

 The moat was well stocked with roach and perch. 



As regards the two large fish, it is probable that they also were 



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