, where it was confined in a circular hole.

A gentleman who resided at Keswick, England, one evening in the latter
end of July, observed a rustling among the strawberries in his garden,
and on examining what it was, found that a toad had just seized a
field-mouse, which had got on the toad's back, scratching and biting to
get released, but in vain. The toad kept his hold, and, as the strength
of the mouse failed, he gradually drew the unfortunate little animal
into his mouth, and gorged him.

CLASS IV. PISCES ... FISHES.

Fishes are extremely numerous in species, and many of them are little
known. They are found in every ocean, sea, lake, or river,--under the
dreary skies of the poles, and the burning latitude of the tropics.
Being the tenants of an element which excludes them from the familiar
observation of man, we have fewer anecdotes of them than of those
classes which we have already noticed. We shall therefore only attempt
to present a few of the most striking that have come to our notice.

THE MACKEREL.

The mackerel is one of the most voracious of all fishes; and when they
get among a shoal of herrings, they make such havoc as frequently to
drive it off the coast. Pontoppidan informs us that a sailor, belonging
to a ship lying in a harbor of Norway, went into the water to wash
himself, when he was suddenly missed by his companions. In the course
of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with vast numbers
of mackerels fastened to him. The people went to his assistance in a
boat, and tore the fishes from him; but it was too late; for he very
shortly afterwards expired from the effects of the wounds he had
received, and from the loss of blood.

THE SWORD-FISH.

The extraordinary power of this fish is shown by the following
statement, from the Penny Magazine: "In repairing his Britannic
majesty's ship Leopard, in 1725, on her return from the coast of
Guinea, a sword of this fish was found to have gone through the
sheathing one inch, next through a three-inch plank, and, beyond that,
four inches and a half in the firm timber. It was the opinion of
mechanics that it would require nine strokes of a hammer weighing
twenty-five pounds to drive an iron bolt, of similar size and form, to
the same depth in the hull; yet this was accomplished by a single
thrust."

THE PIKE.

_Anecdotes._--The rapacity of this fish is notorious. Jesse says,
"Out of eight hundred gudgeons, which were brou