THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



the original article in the Journal of Heredity cannot 

 help being impressed with the similarity of the head of 

 the artificially produced hybrid with that of our well- 

 known "wall-eyed" pike or pike-perch. I have shown 

 the picture referred to to a number of anglers and all 

 have asserted that it is a "wall-eye" without doubt. 

 Yet it was the artificially produced hybrid. Of course 

 it may be the fault of the photographer, for I know 

 how difficult it is to reproduce the marking of fish 

 faithfully with a camera. In this case the head is 

 undoubtedly much nearer the camera than that of the 

 adult pickerel. 



The author concludes his article with the following 

 "Summary of Finding," which it is worth our time to 

 give verbatim: 



"The overlapping spawning time and the spawning behavior 

 of the pike (Esox lucius) and the pickerel {Esox reticulatus) are 

 such as to permit of the possibility of a natural cross. 



"The eggs of the pickerel may be artificially impregnated 

 with the milt of the male pike and may develop into healthy 

 hybrids. 



"Artificially produced hybrids and supposed natural hybrids 

 are identical in scalation of the opercula. showing a condition 

 intermediate between typical pickerel and pike. 



"Typical adult pike and supposed natural hybrids are iden- 

 tical in color pattern. 



"Juvenile pike and the artificial hybrid are identical in color 

 pattern. 



"Thus there is a probability that mature artificial hybrids 

 will resemble in color pattern the supposed natural hybrids. 



"These facts seem to favor the assumption that pike and 

 pickerel occasionally cross." 



Since my paper appeared in Forest and Stream I 

 have had the pleasure of examining carefully two 

 specimens, both of which I am firmly convinced in 

 my own mind were crosses. One I took myself, while 

 the other was shipped from Minnesota for identifica- 

 tion, the thought of the gentleman who sent it being 

 that it was "a new variety of wall-eye" (pike-perch). 

 In both cases there was a very decided wall-eye "cast 

 of countenance," something which I find of great 

 interest. Indeed, one might easily have passed both 



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