298 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



other large rivers the pickerel abounds; it is to be found in 

 large numbers lying in wait among the river grasses or in ponds 

 under the shelter of leafy water plants for the minnows which 

 it consumes in enormous numbers, or some unlucky insect, frog 

 or snake which attracts its voracious appetite. 



Spawning takes place in winter and early in the spring, and 

 the young soon become solitary and wolfish like their elders. 



The fish obtained from Canandaigua lake spawned in their 

 tank in June 1897, and the young were naturally hatched, but 

 they died when about f inch long for want of acceptable food. 



As a food fish not much can be said in praise of the chain 

 pickerel, though it is eaten and doubtless liked by a good many 

 people. The flesh is often coarse and watery and is always full 

 of small bones. This fish, however, furnishes considerable 

 sport to the angler, since it is a very free biter and fights with 

 great boldness and stubbornness when hooked. It is caught by 

 trolling with a spoon or still fishing with live shiners, pickerel 

 frogs and many other baits. A minnow gang is often very 

 effective in pickerel fishing. The hooks must be tied on gimp 

 as a protection for the line from the sharp teeth of the fish. 



This species is always hard to keep in good condition in 

 captivity, because of its liability to fungus attacks. The salt 

 water treatment, however, keeps the fungus in check. 



Subgenus licils 



The longest known and most widely distributed species of 

 Lucius is the common pike, the typical species of the genus. 

 In the subdivision into groups this would be the sole representa- 

 tive of the Lucius group, which has the cheeks fully scaled 

 and the lower half of opercles naked. The sides are pale 

 spotted on a darker ground, and the size is very much larger 

 than that of the pickerels. Fossil remains of the pike have 

 been found in quaternary deposits in Europe. 



150 Lucius lucius (Linnaeus) 



Commwn Piksj Pickerel 



Esox hicius Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 314, 1758, Europe; Richardson, 

 Fauna Bor.-Amer. Ill, 124, 1836; Gunther. Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 

 226, 1806; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 353, 1883; 

 Bean, Fishes Penua. 91, pi. 29, fig. 56, 1893. 



