51. ESOCID^. 
351 
front of dorsal, composed of 3 rays ; base of anal about as long as that 
of dorsal ; caudal fin rounded ; pectoral fin rounded, with a somewhat 
fleshy base, with 33-3G rays. Branchiostegals 7 or 8. Streams of 
Alaska, (Dedicated to W. H. Dali.) 
572. I>. pectoralis Bean. 
Body dusky brown, mottled with whitish. Belly whitish, often 
speckled; fins with dark spots. Body rather elongate. Eye small, 6 
or 7 in head. Pectoral about half as long as head; ventral one-third; 
anal beginning opposite front of dorsal and ending nearly opposite its 
last ray. Scales on belly very small. Head 4; depths. D. 12; A 13; 
P. 34; V. 3; scales 11-77-11. L. 8 inches. Saint Michael’s, Alaska. 
(Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1879, 358.) 
Family LI.-ESOCID^. 
[The Fikes.) 
Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed. Head long ; 
the snout much prolonged and depressed. Mouth very large; its cleft 
forming about half the length of the head ; lower jaw the longer ; upper 
jaw not protractile, most of its margin formed by the maxillaries, which 
are quite long and provided with a supplemental bone ; premaxillaries, 
vomer, and palatines with broad bands of strong cardiform teeth which 
are more or less movable; lower jaw with strong teeth of different 
sizes; tongue with a band of small teeth. Head naked above; cheeks 
and opercles more or less scaly; gill-openings very wide; gill-mem- 
branes separate, free from the isthmus ; gill-rakers tubercle-like, toothed ; 
branchiostegals 12-20. Scales small ; lateral line weak, obsolete in 
young specimens, developed in the adult. Dorsal posterior, opposite 
and similar to anal ; caudal fin emarginate ; pectoral fins small, inserted 
low ; ventrals rather posterior ; vent normal ; no adipose fin ; no bar- 
bels ; stomach not coecal, without pyloric appendages ; pseudobranchise 
glandular, hidden ; air-bladder simple. Fishes of moderate or large size, 
inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and 
Korth America. Genus 1 ; species about 6, one of them cosmopolitan, 
the rest all confined to America. The species are all noted for their 
greediness and voracity. 
{Esocidce Giintlier, vii, 226-230.) 
