THE PIKES 



Family XIX. Esocida 



BODY long, slender, not elevated, more or less compressed 

 posteriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout long and de- 

 pressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half length of 

 head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not protractile; premax- 

 illaries, vomer, and palatines with broad bands of strong cardi- 

 form teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with 

 strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small teeth; 

 head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less scaly; gill- 

 openings very wide; gill-membranes separate, free from the 

 isthmus; branchiostigals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, 

 obsolete in the young, better developed in the adult; pseudo- 

 branchiae glandular, hidden; air-bladder simple. 



Fishes of moderate or large size, inhabiting the fresh waters 

 of Europe, Asia and North America. There is but a single 

 genus with 7 species, one of them cosmopolitan, the others all 

 confined to North America. The species are all noted for their 

 greediness and voracity; "mere machines for the assimilation of 

 other organisms." They are all excellent food-fishes and the 

 larger ones are good game-fishes. 



GENUS ESOX LINN^US 



The characters of the genus included above with those of 

 the family. The 7 species may easily and readily be identified 

 by means of the following key: 



j. Cheek entirely scaly; branchiostegals u to 16. 



b. Opercles entirely scaly; dorsal rays n to 14; colour greenish, 



barred or reticulated with darker. 



c. Branchiostegals normally 12 (n to 13); scales 105 to 108; 



dorsal rays n or 12; anal rays n or 12; snout short, 

 middle of eye nearer tip of lower jaw than posterior mar- 

 gin of opercle; species of small size; the fins unspotted. 



d. Head short, }$ in length of body; snout 2\ in head; eye 2| 



in snout. Colour, dark greenish, the side with about 20 

 distinct curved blackish bars; fins pale; americanus, 234 



233 



