THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 133 



the pike hung so fast, that the mule drew him out of the 

 water, and by that accident the owner of the mule angled out 

 the pike. And the same Gesner observes, that a maid in 

 Poland had a pike bit her by the foot, as she was washing 

 clothes in a pond. And I have heard the like of a woman in 

 Killingworth pond, not far from Coventry. But I have been 

 assured by my friend Mr. Seagrave, of whom I spake to you 

 formerly, that keeps tame otters, that he hath known a pike 

 in extreme hunger fight with one of his otters for a carp that 

 the otter had caught, and was then bringing out of the water. 

 I have told you who relate these things, and tell you they are 

 persons of credit ; and shall conclude this observation, by 

 telling you what a wise man has observed, " It is a hard 

 thing to persuade the belly, because it has no ears."* 



* Bowlker, in his Art of Angling, gives the following instance of the exceed- 

 ing voracity of this fish : " My father catched a pike in Barn-Meer, (a large 

 standing water in Cheshire) was an ell long and weighed thirty-five pounds, 

 which he brought to the Lord Kholmondely : his lordship ordered it to be 

 turned into a canal in the garden, wherein were abundance of several sorts of 

 fish. About twelve months after, his lordship draw'd the canal, and found that 

 this overgrown pike had devoured all the fish, except one large carp, that 

 weighed between nine and ten pounds, and that was bitten in several places. 

 The pike was then put into the canal again, together with abundance of fish 

 for him to feed upon, all which he devoured in less than a year's time; and 

 was observed by the gardener and workmen there, to take the ducks and other 

 water- fowl under water : whereupon they shot magpies and crows, and threw 

 them into the canal, which the pike took before their eyes : of this they 

 acquainted their lord, who thereupon ordered the slaughtermen to fling in 

 calves' bellies, chickens' guts, and such like garbage to him, to prey upon ; but 

 being soon after neglected, he died as supposed for want of food." The follow- 

 ing relation was inserted as an article of news in one of the London papers, 

 2nd Jan. 1765. Extract of a letter from Littleport, Dec. 17. "About ten 

 days ago, a large Pike was caught in the river Ouse, which weighed upwards of 

 twenty-eight pounds, and was sold to a gentleman in the neighbourhood for a 

 guinea. As the cook-maid was gutting the fish, she found, to her great asto- 

 nishment, a watch with a black ribbon, and two steel seals annexed, in the 

 body of the pike ; the gentleman's butler, upon opening the watch, found the 

 maker's name, Thomas Cranefield,Burnham, Norfolk. Upon a strict enquiry, 

 it appears that the said watch was sold to a gentleman's servant, who was 

 unfortunately drowned about six weeks ago, in his way to Cambridge, between 

 this place and South-Ferry. The watch is still in the possession of Mr. John. 

 Roberts, at the Cross Keys, in Littleport, for the inspection of the public." And 

 this is in the same paper, the 25th of the same month and year. " On Tuesday 

 last, at Lillishall lime-works, near Newport, a pool about nine yards deep, 

 which has not yet been fished for ages, was let off by means of a level brought 

 up to drain the works, when an enormous pike was found ; he was drawn out 

 by a rope fastened round his head and gills, amidst hundreds of spectators, 

 in which service a great many men were employed : he weighed upwards of 

 170 pounds, and is thought to be the largest ever seen. Some time ago, the 

 clerk of the parish was trolling in the above pool, when his bait was seized by 

 this furious creature, which, by a sudden jerk, pulled him in, and doubtless 

 would have devoured him also, had he not by wonderful agility and dexterous 



