78 PIKE. 



In discoloured water the spoon bait is often very effective. But I must refer my readers, who 

 require information on such points, to Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell's Book of the Pike and to 

 Mr. Francis Francis's Book on Angtuig, where the fullest information and instruction will be 

 found. 



The body of the Pike is elongated, of uniform depth from the shoulder to the origin of 

 the dorsal fin, then narrowing ; the head flat and wide ; under jaw the longest ; gape exces- 

 sively wide ; eyes large and prominent ; distinct mucous pores on the lower jaw, as also on 

 the upper surface of the head. The dorsal fin and the anal are very far back, and are 

 opposite; tail forked and broad. Colour of head and upper part of the back olive brown, 

 becoming lighter on the sides, and broadly specked or mottled with green or yellowish green, 

 with many scattered roundish yellow spots ; belly white or silvery white. 



The fin-ray formula is 



Dorsal 19. 

 Pectoral 15. 

 Ventral 10. 

 Anal 19. 



The name of Pike doubtless alludes to the length and shape of this fish's body. In 

 Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic Words we learn that Luce was generally applied to large 

 full-grown fish, in the last stage of life; "first a Jack, then a Pickerel, thirdly a Pike, and 

 last of all a Luce." "The Pike of the fisherman," says Yarrell, "is the Lucie of heraldr}^ 

 from the Latin or old French name. Three silver Pikes in a red field were the arms of 

 the ancient baronial families of Lucie of Cockermouth and Egremont." Shakespeare fMet^ry 

 Wives of JVindsor, i. i,) refers to this fish in the arms of Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlecote, 

 Warwickshire. 



A fine specimen was presented for the use of this work by Major Brooksbank, of 

 Middleton HaH. 



