186 FEDERATION PIKE. 
irregular broken horizontal black lines, extending nearly 
to the tail, which was forked. Toward the belly these 
lines disappeared; and the scales of the whole body 
were small and numerous. The depth was unusually 
large in proportion to the length, made greater probably 
by my drawing the outline round the fish as he lay 
on his side. I took three outlines ; but the best speci- 
men weighed six pounds and a half, and was twenty-four 
and a half inches long to the centre of the tail, and 
twenty-three to the root, by five and a half deep, the 
head having a length of seven and a half inches. 
These fish were not only remarkably beautiful, but 
were excellent on the table, and differed utterly in both 
particulars from all other pickerel. They were taken in 
Summer among the water lilies, with the belly of a yel- 
low perch or a piece of themselves, and surrounded as 
they were by the most delicious food, visible to our eyes 
in unlimited quantities, were naturally dainty. 
The above description accords wonderfully with that 
of Dr. Mitchill, and there can be no doubt that the fish 
are identical, although I did not count the fin-rays, which 
Dr. Mitchill gives at — 
Br. 13 ; D. 13 ; P. 13 ; Y. 9 ; A. 13 ; C. 21. 
