362 THE FRESH-\VATEK FISHES OF EUROPE. 



maxillary, but the maxillary bones extend back for nearly half the length <>i' 

 the head. The teeth on the mandible are recurved ; small teeth occur between 

 the larger ones. They are arranged in a single row, usually five or six on each 

 side, and are conspicuously strong. Many rows of small, sickle-shaped teeth 

 cover the pre-maxillary, the hinder teeth being the largest. The palatine bones 

 carry many rows of these sickle-shaped te~eth ; they are curved inwards, and are 

 longest on the inner side. The middle of the band of vomerine teeth is more 

 than half as wide as the band of palatine teeth. The number of branchiostegal 

 rays is fourteen or fifteen. They are denticulated on the inner side. The dorsal 

 fin commences at about a head-length from the base of the caudal ; its longest 

 rays are equal to those of the anal fin, which is opposite to it, or placed a little 

 farther back still. The ventral fins are as long as the pectoral, and are rather 

 behind the middle of the body. The terminal rays of the forked caudal fin are 

 half as long as the head. 



From the back of the head to the anal and dorsal fins the ventral and 

 dorsal profiles are nearly straight and sub-parallel, though the ventral outline 

 more commonly forms a curve. Behind the fins the depth of the tail decreases 

 rapidly. There are no scales on the upper part of the head and snout, but the 

 cheeks and upper part of the operculum are covered with delicate scales. The 

 largest scales are on the sides, but they are scarcely equal to one-third of the 

 orbital diameter. The scales have concentric striae ; they are smallest on the 

 breast and belly, and have a few large festoons on the free border. Some of those 

 on the back and sides are divided at the base by a deep median longitudinal notch, 

 as though they possessed mucus-canals, like the scales of the lateral line ; but 

 there is room for further study of the scales of the Pike. Small scales cover 

 the bases of both lobes of the caudal fin. The lateral line runs parallel to the 

 back and at one-third of the height from it. It is not so distinctly marked as 

 are the cephalic canals, which have large pores. Twelve of these pores can be 

 traced on the upper part of the head, and five large pores on the branch to 

 the lower jaw. The sub-orbital branch is smallest. 



The colour of the back is black, the sides are grey with yellow spots, which 

 often become irregular transverse bands. The head is marbled like the body. 

 The belly is white, but dotted with black. The colour varies with age, season 

 of the year, and locality. At spawning- time the grey colour of the sides 

 becomes a beautiful green, the pale yellow flecks deepen to a golden -yellow, 

 and the gills are deep red. The pectoral and ventral fins are reddish ; the 

 dorsal, anal, and caudal are brownish and flecked with black. The olive-green 

 variety has been termed the Grass Pike, and the pure yellow variety with large 

 blackish bands is known in Germany as the Pike King. In size the Pike is 

 scarcely inferior to the Salmon. 



