LIVE-BAITING. 157 



Walton says, at 2 ft.; Sir J. Hawkins, at 3 lbs.; Mr. Wood, 

 at 2 lbs.; Salter, at 3 lbs. ; Hofland, at 3 lbs., or when it ex- 

 ceeds . 24 in. in length; ' Piscator '(' Practical Angler') says 

 4 lbs. ; ' Glenfin,' 3 lbs. ; Mr. Blaine, 4 or 5 lbs. ; Carpenter, 

 3 lbs. ; ' Ephemera,' 4 lbs., in his ' Notes to Walton,' and 3 or 4 

 lbs. in his ' Handbook on Angling ' ; whilst Captain Williamson 

 recognises no distinction, but calls them indiscriminately pike 

 and jack. 



Under these circumstances, and considering that the dis- 

 tinction — unlike that between the salmon and the grilse' — is 

 purely arbitrary, it would appear to be desirable that for the 

 future an ' act of uniformity ' be passed ; and as the majority 

 of writers seem to favour the 3 lbs. qualification, that standard 

 might, perhaps, be adopted by general consent as the point at 

 which the young pickerels ' cast off the jack ' and assume the 

 full dignities of pikehood. 



The pike is far from being the only subject of what a corre- 

 spondent calls ' fish declension.' The following quaintnesses of 

 fish- nomenclature are taken from a book published by Randal 

 Home, A.D. about 1688. 



A Pike. — First a Hurling-pick, then a Pickerel, then a Pike, then 



a Luce or Lucie. 

 A Perch. — First a Hurling, at a year old a Tranling, second year 



an Egling, third year a Stitchling o: Ferchling, and lastly a 



Perch. 

 A Roach. — First a Rud, then a Roachell or Koachet, then a Roach. 

 A Salmon. — First a Shad, then a Sprat, then a Trout or Salmon, 



then a Mort, then a Salmon Mcrt, then a Salmon Peal or 

 ■Samlett or Young Salmon, then a Salmon, then a Scipper 



Salmon. A Skegger is a little salmon which will never he 

 • higger. 

 A Carpe. — First a Sizling, then a SproU cr Sprall, then a Caibe or 



Karbe. 

 A Lampron.— First a Barle, then a Barling, then a Lamprey cr 



Lampron. 

 A Gorgeon or Gudgeon.^-T'ust a Sand Gressen, then a Grundel 



or a Grundlin, then a Gourgeon. 

 An Eel.^F'nst a Fansen, then a Grigg or Snigg, then a Scaffling, 



