THE PIKE FAMILY. 231 



species, the Cossyphus — often mentioned by ancient writers 

 on Halieutics ; — 



" The Cossyphus, according to Aristotle, makes the best 

 of mates, 'una contentus conjuge,' as good Eoman hus- 

 bands in the olden time were fond of recording on their 

 tombstones; bat if so, Oppian has taken great poetical 

 liberties with his reputation, describing him as the ' Great 

 Mogul' of the deep. According to this author, he pos- 

 sesses an immense gynaecium, sufficient to keep him per- 

 petually in hot, albeit in cold, water. Having found suit- 

 able gites for his numerous females, he ascends the waters, 

 and from a transparent watch-tower looks down into their 

 bowers, an open-eyed sentinel, whose jealousy day and night 

 never remits, not so much as to permit him to taste food. 

 As the time for expecting a new posterity approaches, his 

 anxiety, we are told by his biographer, knows no bounds : 

 he goes from one to the other, and back again to the 

 first, making inquiries of all ; but as the pains and perils of 

 Lucina proceed, the liveliest emotions of fear and anxiety 

 are awakened in his breast. As some distracted matron 

 wanders in her agitation backwards and forwards, and 

 sufiers, by sympathy, all the daughter's pains in her own 

 person, so the agitated Cossyphus roams incessantly about, 

 disturbing the waters as he moves from place to place. 



" The fisherman, tracking these movements, drops a live 

 bait, properly leaded, right on the top of one of the ladies 

 in roe ; the Cossyphus, supposing this an invasion of his 

 seraglio, flies at the intruder open-mouthed and is imme- 



