FISHES. 153 



and devour it. If this manner of feeding is carefully continued, 

 never allowing the Pike to become very hungry, his companions 

 will be safe. I have thus kept a Pike among several young 

 roach and perch. A friend of mine tells me that he has seen 

 in the aquarium at Kensington a Pike living peaceably among 

 young roach, and only feeding upon those small fish which 

 are specially introduced for his food. 



The Pike soon becomes very tame, and will learn to know 

 the tank in which his food is kept and the net with which it 

 is caught. Directly the net is taken in his owner's hands a 

 curious hungry gleam is seen in his eye, but he himseK remains 

 almost motionless. It is very interesting to watch this gleam 

 appear as the fish's master takes the net, and to see it as 

 quickly disappear if he should put it down unused. The Pike 

 will not be very long in confinement before he will allow him- 

 self to be touched with a pencil or even a finger. 



Pike, as everyone knows, are tremendous eaters. They are 

 weU described as omnivorous, for they will — some of them — 

 take anything, e.g., the hand of a boy when bathing, a mule's 

 nose, or a swan's head. Mr. Jesse is reported to have said 

 that eight Pike, about 51b. each, in three weeks consiimed 800 

 gudgeon. A clerical friend of mine told me that on one occa- 

 sion when he arrived at some water where he was going to fish 

 for Pike, he found one jumping about upon the bank. He 

 immediately secured it, and when he examined it he found that 

 it weighed 171b., and that it contained within its stomach a 

 water-vole and a moorhen. The fish is supposed to have jumped 

 upon the bank while capturing the bird, and had not time to 

 get back again to the water before he was caught. 



The growth of Pike, of course, greatly depends upon the 

 amount and quality of the food they are able to obtain. Mr. 

 Cholmondeley PenneU, in the " Badmiaton Library," quotes a 

 letter, published in the Field, in which it is said that "Mr. 

 Kinsey, of Melbourne (Derbyshire), put a Pike into a well when 

 a few inches long. Food was given to it for several years, but 

 it grew very slowly, and at last reached 31b. It lived fourteen 

 years, and latterly became very tame — so much so as to take 

 food from the hand." Another Pike kept in confinement in 



