Fish and Fishing 



whom anglers are much indebted for his intelli- 

 gent planting of the fish raised at the hatchery at 

 Bemus Point. 



Both species devour every living creature that 

 comes in sight, preying upon all other fishes, frogs 

 and amphibians generally, ducklings and other 

 small aquatic birds and mammals, as well as the 

 young of their own kind. 



The pike family are most remarkable for the 

 large size of the head which is flattened and the 

 lower jaw which projects. They have a terrible ar- 

 ray of sharp teeth of assorted sizes, and on the edge 

 of each side of the lower jaw are several long, 

 bayonet-shaped fangs — in the larger fish nearly 

 an inch long, some of them curved inward like 

 the tusks of a boar. 



It is solitary in its habits, lying concealed among 

 the water plants and reeds at the edges of the 

 streams or channels where other fish are likely 

 to pass by, or standing motionless beside shelv- 

 ing rocks or banks, in clear lakes, whence it 

 darts upon any luckless fish that approaches its 

 lair. With mouth tightly closed, it springs like 

 a thunder-bolt till very near its victim ; 

 Fe^ ^^ then, opening wide its immense jaws, 

 it brings them together with a sudden 

 snap, sometimes cutting its prey into two pieces, 

 always taking the fish or lure sideways. Then it 

 slowly returns to its hiding-place to gorge. There 

 is no special time when they take their food ; they 

 are always feeding. The number of fishes swal- 

 lowed and wounded by mascalonge during a single 

 8 



