BIRDS AS THE FOOD OF FISHES
13
On a lake at Sheepy, Warwickshire, in February, 1944, a pike
was observed attempting to seize a kingfisher, which flew low
over the water. The pike came out of the water about 10 to
12 inches. In August, 1899, on the Ouse near Bedford a
pike was seen to take a full-grown waterhen by the legs and
lower part of the body; the bird flapped its wings in a vain
endeavour to get free, but was pulled under, to appear again
in a few seconds, some feet away, making further attempts with
its wings to break away, only to be finally pulled under.
There are even more remarkable instances of the ferocity of
the pike. In July, 1901, on the Upper Witham, Lincolnshire, a
large pike seized a full-grown Aylesbury duck and swam under
the bank with it. The river being only about four feet deep at
this point a canoe was paddled to the spot and the pike was
found with the duck half in and half out of its mouth; a jab
with the paddle made it release the duck, which came to the
surface, badly mauled and dead. It was estimated that the pike
weighed well over 20 pounds. On Aqualate Mere, near
Newport, Salop, in June, 1866, a swan was noticed up-ending
for an unusually long time. The bird was hauled into a rowing
boat when it was found that its head was fixed in the throat of an
enormous pike, still alive while the swan was dead. The pike
weighed 36 lbs. Many well authenticated instances from various
localities of pike taking young waterfowl have come to my
notice. About 1884 a pike of about 101/2 lbs. was caught in the
lake at Ewhurst Park, Hants., with a full-grown moorhen in
its stomach, and another was landed at Castledillon Lane, Co.
Armagh, in October, 1943, weighing 18 lbs. and measuring
3ft. 91/2ins., which had swallowed a heron not quite fully grown.
Of the marine fishes which are known to prey on birds the
angler or fishing-frog, so far as my evidence goes, does most
harm. The angler is so called because it has on the top of its
head two or more spine-like tentacles tipped with fleshy lobes or
lappets, with which it is said to entice fishes, which are swallowed
if they come close enough. A feature of this fish is the great
width of its jaws, which in Scotland give it the name of "wide-
gab" and in America "all-mouth." Many instances have been
recorded of small divers such as guillemots and razorbills having
been devoured by this fish and it even preys on much larger
birds. On at least three occasions great northern divers have
been killed by the angler, in one instance the remains of the bird
having been found in the intestines of the fish. These incidents
occurred off the Irish coast. It has been recorded reliably that
an angler, measuring three feet, was captured with a partially
swallowed herring-gull, and placed in a local museum. From
the same source comes a description of a fisherman capturing