THE PIKE 165 
and effective. The maxillary bones, forming the side margin 
of the upper jaws, are toothless ; the intermaxillary bone, 
forming their front margin, is covered with rows of small 
recurved teeth, as also are the vomer, the palatine bones, 
and the hyoid arch which forms the roof of the mouth and 
covers the branchial apparatus, or gills. The mandible, or 
lower jaw, carries five or six large recurved teeth on each side, 
with smaller teeth interspersed. These teeth are firmly fixed, 
but those on the roof of the mouth, which are set in three 
dense bands, are hinged posteriorly, so as to bend back and 
admit the easy passage of such animals as the pike may seize. 
All things considered, a more perfect predatory instrument 
could scarcely be devised than the mouth of a pike, especially 
for the capture of nimble and slippery objects. 
The body is covered with small cycloid scales,* the colour 
varying considerably with the seasons. The back is intensely 
dark olive at all times ; except in the spawning season the sides 
are grey and green, with a slight silvery lustre, handsomely 
marbled with primrose-yellow. Under a magnifying glass it 
may be seen that the scales of the lateral region are closely 
powdered with dots of dark pigment, except on the yellow 
markings. The dorsal and anal fins are light olive, marbled 
with black ; the pectorals and ventrals have a russet or orange 
tinge; the tail fin is light olive, horizontally striped with black. 
In spring, when the sexes pair, the body tints deepen, the green 
on the sides becomes beautifully vivid, and the pale yellow 
markings turn to gold, which spreads somewhat lower on the 
body than at other times. 
The pike is a solitary fish, except during the brief season 
when he associates with a mate for reproductive purposes. 
Indeed, he adopts very effective measures to secure 
the solitude he desires by swallowing all the smaller 
individuals of his kind into which he can set his teeth. Some 
Habits. 
* Cycloid scales are those without a coating of enamel and with a 
smooth posterior margin. 
