THE PIKE 165 



and eiFective. The maxillary bones, forming the side margin 

 of the upper jaws, are toothless ; the intermaxillary bone, 

 forming their front margin, is covered with rows of small 

 recurved teeth, as also are the vomer, the palatine bones, 

 and the hyoid arch which forms the roof of the mouth and 

 covers the branchial apparatus, or gills. The mandible, or 

 lower jaw, carries five or six large recurved teeth on each side, 

 with smaller teeth interspersed. These teeth are firmly fixed, 

 but those on the roof of the mouth, which are set in three 

 dense bands, are hinged posteriorly, so as to bend back and 

 admit the easy passage of such animals as the pike may seize. 

 All things considered, a more perfect predatory instrument 

 could scarcely be devised than the mouth of a pike, especially 

 for the capture of nimble and slippery objects. 



The body is covered with small cycloid scales,* the colour 

 varying considerably with the seasons. The back is intensely 

 dark olive at all times ; except in the spawning season the sides 

 are grey and green, with a slight silvery lustre, handsomely 

 marbled with primrose-yellow. Under a magnifying glass it 

 may be seen that the scales of the lateral region are closely 

 powdered with dots of dark pigment, except on the yellow 

 markings. The dorsal and anal fins are light olive, marbled 

 with black ; the pectorals and ventrals have a russet or orange 

 tinge ; the tail fin is light olive, horizontally striped with black. 

 In spring, when the sexes pair, the body tints deepen, the green 

 on the sides becomes beautifully vivid, and the pale yellow 

 markings turn to gold, which spreads somewhat lower on the 

 body than at other times. 



The pike is a solitary fish, except during the brief season 



when he associates with a mate for reproductive purposes. 



Indeed, he adopts very effective measures to secure 



the solitude he desires by swallowing all the smaller 



individuals of his kind into which he can set his teeth. Some 



* Cycloid scales are those without a coating of enamel and with a 

 smooth posterior margin. 



