THE PIKE 145 



which we stood ; he continued doing this for perhaps 

 a minute before sinking out of sight. 



Innumerable instances might be adduced to 

 illustrate the fierceness and greediness of the Pike 

 Smitt relates a story of a Pike of 7 or 8 Ibs. which 

 caught and ate a Salmon of its own size, darting 

 forward and seizing its victim right across the body ; 

 a fierce combat ensued, but the Salmon could not 

 shake off its relentless captor, and in a couple of 

 hours was so exhausted that the Pike began to 

 swallow it head first. The meal lasted three days 

 before the whole body had disappeared, and for a 

 week afterwards the Pike had a very swollen 

 appearance, and could hardly be induced to move 

 by touching it with a long stick. 



This Pike was perhaps more fortunate than he 

 deserved to be, for it has often happened that the 

 attempt to swallow too big a prey has so exhausted 

 or choked the captor as to cause his death. Some 

 years ago in one season two Pike, weighing 35 and 

 29 Ibs. respectively, were found floating dead on the 

 lake at Sherborne in Dorset ; each had failed to 

 swallow a fish of about one-third its own weight, a 

 Carp in the one case, a Pike in the other. On this 

 same lake I have seen a Pike rush with such fury 

 at a Roach that was just being lifted out by an 

 angler that only the head was left on the hook. 



On Loch Tay in 1870 two Pike, of nearly equal 

 size, were seen struggling with the head of one in 

 the mouth of the other ; they were gaffed by a 

 boatman and were found to weigh together 1 9 Ibs. ; 

 these two fish are preserved as a cast in the Buckland 

 Collection. This incident is perhaps explained by 

 the following, narrated by Mr. Pennell : " A ludicrous 



