THE PIKE 147 



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." 



Mr. Pennell gives a well-authenticated account 

 of an attack made by a Pike on a boy of fifteen, 

 who was bathing with his companions in a pond 

 near Ascot in June, 1856. Both hands were seized 

 and severely bitten ; a few days afterwards the fish 

 was seen floating on the water almost dead ; it was 

 taken out and was found to measure 41 inches in 

 length, but was very lean, and was evidently dying 

 of starvation ; we may conclude that before coming 

 to this pass he had eaten all the other fish in the 

 pond. 



Sufficient has been said to indicate the voracity 

 and ferocity of the Pike, which when driven by the 

 pangs of hunger will even attack man himself; anger 

 and revenge also seem to influence him, for I have 

 seen one spring from the ground and close his jaws 

 on the arm of the angler who was about to take the 

 hook from his mouth. It has also been credited 

 with one good trait (in addition, as Day remarks, 

 to eating its younger relatives), and that is abstention 

 from devouring the Tench out of gratitude for services 

 performed by the latter ; the Tench is popularly re- 

 garded as the physician of the Pike, whose wounds 

 it is said to heal by means of the slime which covers 

 its body. There is some evidence that Pike, as 

 a rule, do not care for Tench, although in some 

 localities they are known to take them ; but that 

 ii 



