187 



No. 8. When in the humour, these delicious little 



bite very freely 5 especially when the surface is a little 



ruffled by a warm wind. 



They sometimes may be seen in shoals, in deep holes 

 under steep banks, enjoying the sun's warmth $ but when 

 so situated, they for the most part disregard every kind of 

 bait, and after one has been taken, commonly quit the 

 haunt, retiring to some more secluded deep. 



For salmon and for jacks, the gravling is an excellent 

 bait, if selected of a suitable size. It is remarkable, how- 

 ever, that even when only five or six inches in length, 

 they may be seen chacing the minnows and small fry ; 

 whence we may derive some confirmation to their title 

 to be classed among the predatory tribe. 



Of the Jack, Pike, or Luce. 



This is properly called the fresh water wolf, for cer 

 tainly it is the most bold, merciless, and voracious of all 

 the fishes within our rivers. It does not confine its de- 

 predations to those of other kinds, but attacks without 

 reserve such of its own species as it can swallow. 



Hence we observe, that ihejack is a solitary animal, 

 not mixing in shoals with others of its own kind ; while 

 on the other hand, all other fishes, large and small, inva- 

 riably retire on the approach of a jack. 



Indeed, I have on several occasions been led, when the 

 weather and other circumstances have been favourable, 

 on finding I could not induce any familiar fishes to bite, 

 to try for a jack, and very rarely failed of catching one in 

 a very few minutes. Such is the dread occasioned by the 

 vicinity of this ferocious plunderer^ that even such fishes 



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