106 FOX PIKE. 



back, and the second towards the tail, opposite the 

 anal fm : the tail is pretty deeply forked: general 

 colour brown, with whitish abdomen. This is said 

 to be an extremely strong, fierce, and dangerous 

 fish, swimming with great rapidity, and preying 

 on most others : it is even said sometimes to at- 

 tack and destroy bathers, in the same manner as 

 the Shark. It is found in great plenty in the tropi- 

 cal seas, and is frequent about the West-Indian 

 islands. It is in no estimation as a food, the flesh 

 being rank, and even, sometimes, according to 

 common report, highly noxious, occasioning all 

 the symptoms of the most fatal poisons ; yet, in 

 spite of these bad qualities, we are assured by 

 Catesby that the hungry Bahamians frequently 

 make their repast " on its unwholesome carcase." 

 The situation of the teeth of this fish, us described 

 by Catesby, seems rather anomalous, and I know 

 not whether it may bo considered as sufficiently 

 correct or not. 



FOX PIKE. 



Esox Vulpes. E.fuscus, pinna in media dorst, membrana branchi- 



ostega triradiata. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 51 6. 

 Brown Pike, with dorsal fin in the middle of the back, and 



three-rayed gill-membrane. 

 Vulpes Bahamensis. Catesb. Car. 2. t. l.f. 2. 



GENERAL length about sixteen inches : habit 

 somewhat similar to that of a common Pike, but 

 remarkably slender or taper towards the tail, which 

 is very deeply and widely forked : mouth of mode- 



