The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-09
A vorncious PickereI.

A piscatorial sight was witnessed yes
terday afternoon by a few persons who
CHANGED to be near the No. lake at Rog-
er Williams Park, which even the most
experienced sportsman would consider
himself fortunate to have seen, says the
Providence Journal
A pickerel was swimming leisurely about
the lake. A gang of Workmen, in charge
OF Mr.. Costello, an assistant to Supt.
Fits, was working moi far away. pho
tographer on the shore of the lake was
noting the fall changes in the landscape,
glancing at the occasional Dassers-by on
the road and in general was on the look
out for a good object at which to point
his experienced lens.
Suddenly the pickerel was seen to pro-
duce swirl on the water and the three
or four who were near the shores of the
lake knew what happened The voracious
fish had made strike and had pounc-
ed upon a smaller fish that was fellow
inhabitant of the lake.
Those who had had experience with
pickerel were about to turn away, expect
ing the agony was over
There's one less live fish in the lake, -
remarked one amateur fisherman, as he
saw what had caused the commotion.
That's so-but look. There's more trou-
bic out there. What's he up TO now?"
He's thrashing about on the water.
There's something the matter
Everybody in the vicinity now began to
pay attention to the pickerel, which but
a few moments ago was only one out of
many of the same kind that were known
to inhabit the lake.
The thrashing continued, and a struggle
was evidently in progress. 1t continued
until the fish had grown too weak to con-
tinue it. Less and less was the water beat
en-, and finally the fish lay apparently dead
=
ashore and was examined by the curious
crowd that gathered.
1t did not take long to discover what
the trouble was. The pickerel had endeav-
ored to swallow a white perch and the
perch was too big for 1t to swallow. It's
capacious mouth was forced wide open,
but the fish would neither go down the
pickereIs throat nor could it be forced
out, and the larger fish had choked to
death.
Mr.. Costello took charge of the dead fish
and reported the strange happening to the
superintendent While the fish was laid
out in preparation for the removal the
photographer, George b. Congdon of this
city, took a picture of it.
An examination of the mouth of the fish
shows that in common with other fish of
the same kind it has teeth that are very
sharp, and they point inward The perch
once lodged in the mouth was bound to
stay there The pickerel, in making its
strike always takes the prey head first,
so that the latter entered the mouth in
the way it can easiest slide in, but the
difficulty of getting out is increased.
The pickerel that choked to death was
little above the average size of those
at the park, being twenty inches long
while the perch was seven inches long.
When it fioated ashore the mouth was SO
distended that the smaller fish could be
seen through the gills.
There have been other larger fish taken
out of the Park lakes, so that this was
not of unusual size. In SEEMING the waters
last year the workmen caught a pickerel
as long as twenty-seven inches.
The pickerel, as a rule, Is a very active
fish. 1t win dart from one position of in
activity with extreme velocity, swallowing
other fish, water rats, and even small
aquatic birds. 1t is sometimes called the
shark of fresh waters-and the pike as
the fish is called when full grown, does
not spare even its own species, devouring
its young, and even decomposing carcasses.
where the remains are encountered. The
mouth is large and we'll filled with teeth.
and it has every facility for making war
upon other living creatures that are to be
found in its vicinity. Undoubtedly some
of the young ducks at the Park have been
killed in the same way