1004 



SCANDIXAVIAX KISIIES. 



crease l)oth in size .and numbers the nearer it ap- 

 pi'oaches to the open sea, at last disappearing entirely. It 

 ascends to a great altitude among the mountains; but 

 in Switzerland, according to Fatio, stops short at a 

 height of 700 — 800 m. above the level of the sea, 

 though it has been planted with success 1,100 m. or 

 even 1,400 m. above the sea-level. In Tornea Lapp- 

 mark it inhabits the alpine lakes above the birch-region; 

 in Jemtland, according to Olssox, it ascends to lakes 

 at least 650 m., perha])S 740 m. aliove the level of the 

 sea. In its American range too, the Pike is common 

 from the Ai'ctic regions (Richahdson) south to (_)hio; 

 l)ut it is not included in Bkan's list of tlie lislies of 

 Alaska. From Greenland and Iceland it is unknown. 



The Pike chooses its spring and summer haunts 

 Ijy preference in shallow inlets with a weedy bottom 

 and shores overgrown with reeds and rushes. Towards 

 autumn it betakes itself to precipitous, stony shores, 

 which it again forsakes when the winter is at hand, 

 and the inlets freeze. Most of the Pike then return to 

 their summer stations; Init tiie larger ones seemingly 

 follow the shoals of other fishes to the depths, being 

 seldom caught during winter in shallow water. To 

 these a more plentiful supply of food is, no doubt, 

 necessary than the shallows afford in winter-time. 



When the Pike has chosen its station for the season, 

 it restricts its wanderings to the immediate neighbour- 

 hood, leading a solitary life, and never seen in com- 

 pany except dui'ing the spawning. Its attachment to 

 one spot may he gathered from a circumstance related 

 to us on trustworthy authority. A Pike that liad ta- 

 ken a ti'olling-hook and escaped was recaptured after 

 several j'eai's in a seine at the same place, and the 

 hook was found in its stomach. 



The Pike is undoubtedly the most voracious among 

 the fresh-water fishes of Scandinavia. It devours in- 

 discriminately other fishes, young waterfowl, small 

 mammals, and carrion. From the dense bed of grass 

 or rushes where it usually passes the day in stationary 

 watch, it pounces with the speed of an arro\v on its 

 unwary victim. It almost always seizes its prej' cross- 

 wise, and retains its hold until the latter is dead or 

 so exhausted as to desist from all struggles. Then the 

 Pike turns the prize in its jaws till the head points 

 towards the interior of its mouth, and commences its 



meal. This operation is a protracted one when the 

 victim is large, for the end first swallowed and received 

 in the stomach must digest to make room for the 

 remainder. ^Ir. C. Fr. W.i^rn has kindly comnuuii- 

 cated the following observation in point: "I have ke])t 

 Pike together with a Salmon in a pond fed with run- 

 ning water. The former were usually stationary, the 

 latter kept constantly on the move. On one occasion 

 I saw a Pike of 7 or 8 llis. weiglit dart forward and 

 seize the Salmim, which was quite as large, in its for- 

 midable jaws I'ight across the body. The combat was 

 fierce. The Salmon leapt out of the water and made 

 desperate, Imt fruitless struggles to shake off its re- 

 lentless captor. In a couple of hours' time the Salmon 

 was uttei'ly exhausted, and the Pike began to swallow 

 it head fii-st. The meal lasted three days before the 

 whole body had disappeared. The process of digestion 

 must have taken much longer, for all the following 

 week the Pike had a very swollen a]:)pearance, arid 

 could hardly be induced to move by touching it with 

 a long stick." This voracity grows to ravenous and 

 insatiate hunger, and blood-thirsty tendencies are in- 

 herent in the Pike from its earliest youth. Baron 

 C. J. Cederstrom relates" from his experiments in 

 pisciculture that on the 17th of June he had four 

 small Pike, two of them measuring about 26 mm., the 

 other two about 20 mm., living together in a bowl of 

 water. They had l)een fed with, small Ide-fry, the 

 larvaj of gnats, and water-fleas (Daphnin). In dark- 

 ness they ate nothing, their rapacity was excited only 

 by the moving objects appreciable to their sight. Dur- 

 ing the night their bowl had been covered with a lid. 

 When he removed the lid at .5 a. m., they were to be 

 seen all four; but when he returned a quarter of an 

 hour later, one of the larger pair had begun to devour 

 one of its smaller comrades. Half of the victim's body 

 still stuck out of the other's moutii, and moved for 

 some moments, while the stomach of the latter was 

 monstrously distorted and distended. Soon afterwards 

 he ol)served how the other pair kept a jealous watch 

 on one another. The larger of them soon made an 

 assault, but was foiled, the smaller escaping by a dex- 

 terous movement, yet without fleeing to any distance. 

 But the second attack was rewarded with complete 

 success, and the two victors now swam a!)Out, glutted 



" In SuNPEVALi., 5fvers., 1. 



