AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
175 
in the account of Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s voyages, which 
commenced in 15S3, that there arc said to be in New- 
foundland, “ buttolfles, ora beast, it seemeth by the tract 
and foote, very large in the manner of an oxe.” It may, 
however, be questioned whether these were not musk 
oxen, instead of the common Buffalo or Bison of our prai- 
ries. We have no authority of any weight, which war- 
rants us in admitting that the Buffalo existed north of 
Lakes Ontario, Erie, &c., and east of Lake Superior. 
From what we know of the country between Nelson’s 
River, Hudson’s Bay, and the lower lakes, including New 
South Wales and Upper Canada, we are inclined to believe 
that the Buffalo never abounded there, if indeed any were 
ever found north of the lakes. But west of Lake Winne- 
peck, we know that they are found as far north as the 
f>2d degree of north latitude. Captain Franklin’s party kill- 
ed one on Salt River, about the 60th degree. Probably 
they are found all over the prairies which are bounded on the 
north by a line commencing at the point at which the 62d 
degree meets the base of the Rocky Mountains, and run- 
ning in a southeasterly direction, to the southern ex- 
tremity of Lake Winnepeck, which is but very little 
north of the 50th degree; on the Sardatchawan, Buffalo 
are very abundant. It may be proper to mention here, 
that the small white Buffalo, of which Mackenzie makes 
frequent mention, on the authority of the Indians, who 
told him that they lived in the mountains, is probably not 
the Bison; for Lewis and Clarke inform us, that the In- 
dians designated by that name the mountain sheep. It is 
probable that west of the Rocky Mountains the Buffalo 
does not extend far north of the Columbia. At present 
it is scarcely seen east of the Mississippi, and south of the 
St. Lawrence. Governor Cass’s party found in 1819 
Buffalo on the east side of the Mississippi, above the falls 
of St. Anthony: every year this animal’s rovings are re- 
stricted. In 1822, the limit of its wanderings down the 
St. Peter, was Great Swan Lake, (near Camp Crescent.) 
[ Godman . 
PIKE. 
In the whole of the Pike tribe, the head is somewhat 
flat, and the upper jaw shorter than the other. The gill- 
membrane has from seven to twelve rays. The body is 
long, slender, compressed at the sides, and covered with 
hard scales. The dorsal fin is situated near the tail, and 
generally opposite to the anal fin. 
These fish are found in considerable plenty in most of the 
lakes in Europe, Lapland, America, and the northern parts of 
Persia, where they sometimes measure upwards of eight 
feet in length. 
There is scarcely any fish of its size in the world that 
in voracity can equal the Pike. One of them has been 
known to choak itself in attempting to swallow another of 
its own species that proved too large a morsel: and it has 
been well authenticated, that, in the Marquis of Stafford’s 
eanal at Trentham, a Pike seized the head of a swan as she 
was feeding under water, and gorged so much of it as kill- 
ed them both. 
“I have been assured, (says Walton,) by my friend, 
Mr. Seagrave, who keeps tame otters, that he has 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.” 
Boulker, in his Art of Angling, says, that his father 
caught a Pike that was an ell long, and weighed thirty- 
five pounds, which he presented to Lord Cholmondeley. 
His Lordship directed it to be put into a canal in his gar- 
den, which at that time contained a great quantity of fish. 
Twelve months afterwards the water was drawn off, and 
it was discovered that the Pike had devoured all the fish 
except a single large carp, that weighed between nine and 
ten pounds; and even this had been bitten in several places. 
The Pike was again put in, and an entire fresh stock of 
fish for him to feed on; all these he devoured in less than 
a year. Several times he was observed by workmen, who 
were standing near, to draw ducks and other water-fowl 
under water. Crows were shot and thrown in, which he 
took in the presence of the men. From this time the 
slaughter-men had orders to feed him with the garbage of 
the slaughter-house; but being afterwards neglected, he 
died, as it is supposed, from want of food. 
The largest Pike that is supposed to have been ever 
seen, was one caught on the draining of a pool at Lillis- 
hall lime-works, near Newport, that had not been fish- 
ed in the memory of man: it weighed above 170 pounds. 
If the accounts of different writers on the subject are to 
be credited, the longevity of the Pike is very remarkable. 
Gesner goes so far as to mention a Pike w T hose age was as- 
certained to be 267 years. 
Pike spawn in March or April. When they are in high 
season, their colours are very fine, being green, spotted 
with bright yellow, and having the gills of a most vivid 
red. When out of season, the green changes to grey, and 
the yellow spots become pale. The teeth are very sharp, 
and are disposed in the upper jaw, on both sides of the 
lower, on the roof of the mouth, and often on the tongue. 
They are altogether solitary fish, never congregating like 
some of the other tribes. 
Ireland is remarkable for abundance of Pike, and for 
