266 PISHES. 



FAMILY CII.-ESOCID^E. 



(The Pikes.) 



Body elongated, sub-cylindrical, with rather small 

 scales; margin of upper jaw formed by intermaxillaries 

 mesially and by the maxillaries laterally; mouth very 

 large; jaws elongate, depressed; teeth strong, hooked, 

 unequal, on intermaxillaries, vomer and palatines; dorsal 

 short, opposite anal; gill openings wide; air bladder 

 present. Voracious fishes of the fresh waters of north- 

 ern regions, two or three of the species reaching a large 

 size. With a single exception (E. lucius, L. the Pike 

 of Europe and Asia) all the species belong to the U. S. 



Genus one; species six or seven; the following seem 

 to be well characterized; many others have been de- 

 scribed and some of them may be good, but that has yet 

 to be proven. 



/. ESOX, Linnaeus. PIKES. 



* Lower half of cheeks as well as opercles bare ; branchiostegals 

 17 to 19 ; species of very large size, dark-spotted on a lighter 

 ground. (Muskallunges.) 



1. E. nobilior, Thompson. MUSKALLUNGE. GREAT 

 PIKE. Cheeks as well as opercles half bare; grayish 

 with round black spots; a magnificent fish, reaching a 

 length of 6 feet; B. 18; D. 3, 17; A. 3, 15; lat. 1. 155. 

 Great Lakes, etc. (E. estor of some authors.) 



** Lower half of cheeks scaly ; of opercles bare ; branchiostegals 

 15 or 16 ; species of large size, white-spotted on a darker 

 ground. (Pikes.) 



2. E. lucius, L. GREAT LAKE PIKE. NORTHERN- 

 PICKEREL. Cheeks entirely scaly; depth 7 in length; 

 head 3; olive gray; sides with round yellowish spots as 

 large as peas; each scale with a shining V-shaped mark 

 opening downwards; B. 15; D. 20; A. 17; lat. 1. 



