87 



XIV. THE PIKE FAMILY. ESOCID^E. 



Representatives in British Fauna. Gen. 5, Sp. 6 



The second family of Order II. of the Osseous 

 Fishes, Malacoptergii A Idominales, is distinguished 

 by being destitute of an adipose fin, by having its 

 upper jaw formed by the intermaxillary bone, and, 

 when this is not the case, by the maxillary itself 

 being without teeth, and hid in the substance of the 

 lip. The fishes belonging to it are voracious ; their 

 intestine is short and without caeca ; and all of them 

 have an air-bladder. Many of them ascend rivers. 

 All that are known, with one exception, the Micros- 

 toma, have the dorsal fin opposite the anal one. It 

 is composed of many genera, not half of which have 

 representatives in the British seas. The first we 

 mention belongs to the 



Gen. LIX. Esox. The Proper Pikes are charac- 

 terized by small intermaxillary bones in the upper 

 jaw ; of which they form two-thirds, and which are 

 armed with small pointed teeth, while the maxil- 

 laries on the sides have none ; the vomer, palatals, 



