

PIKE. 159 



angler is never tired of reading and practising. But there is 

 a trait in the habits of this fish which seems to require notice, 

 as it has a bearing on a portion of the nature of all fishes, 

 whether of the river or the sea. 



The Pike is observed sometimes to remain asleep in some 

 quiet part of the stream, with such an entire suspension of its 

 senses, that opportunity has been taken of snaring it with a 

 noose, and thus lifting it on shore. This fact is more worthy 

 of notice, as the proof generally of the existence of sleep in fishes 

 appears very doubtful; and at least, if it exists at all, it is 

 conducted in them in a different way from what we perceive 

 in all other classes of animals. 



The Shark, Dolphin, and Pilot-fish will attend the devious 

 motions of a ship for very long distances through a succession 

 of numerous days and nights, without appearing to flag in their 

 exertions, or to mistake the course of what they follow; which 

 circumstances cannot be explained if during this time their 

 consciousness of external objects had been suspended, or they 

 had been asleep in the manner of other creatures. We can 

 imagine it possible indeed that separate portions of the brain 

 may fall into a state of sleep alternately, while others remain 

 awake; but the apparently more probable supposition is, that 

 their sleep is a condition somewhat resembling what we know 

 of human somnambulism; in which state the external senses 

 are partially awake, while rest has fallen on some important 

 portions of them. There are instances where men are known 

 to have acted with vigilant intelligence in some particulars, 

 while much of their outward consciousness in other matters has 

 been suspended; and so it may be with the inhabitants of the 

 water; but the subject deserves more attention than it has yet 

 received. This suspension of vigilance in the Pike as a proof 

 of sleep is the more remarkable, as at other times its faculties 

 are greatly on the alert, and its sense of hearing in particular 

 is more acute than in the generality of fishes. 



When suffered to reach its full size the Pike has been found 

 of the length of five or six feet; and the aged individual 

 mentioned by Gesner is said to have measured nineteen feet, 

 with the weight of three hundred and fifty pounds. But the 

 usual magnitude even of a large fish is much less than this, 

 and Willughby thought it deserving of record that he had 



