ABDOMINAL MALACOPTERYGII. 131 



silvery substance, which is used to colour the in- 

 terior of glass beads, in imitation of pearls. 



FAM. II. ESOCID^E. 



The members of this family are known by their 

 flattened head and wide mouth, the upper jaw bones 

 destitute of teeth, and concealed in the thickness of 

 the lips ; numerous sharp teeth in other parts of the 

 mouth ; the body is of a lengthened form, with the 

 dorsal fin far back, over the anal. They ascend 

 rivers, and are remarkable for their voracity and 

 quick digestion. 



Esox* the Pike. 



The head is large, flat, oblong and blunt; the 

 jaws, palate, throat, and even the gill-rays bristled 

 with sharp teeth of various sizes ; those of the 

 lower jaw long and pointed : a large air-bladder. 

 They are found in the rivers and lakes of both con- 

 tinents ; and some very large American species are 

 encased in strong bony square scales, as if in armour. 

 The common Pike, or Jack (Esox Lucius) is now 

 pretty abundant in many of our rivers, but was in- 

 troduced from the continent, probably not much 

 before the time of Edward I. From its fierceness 

 and voracity, it has been called the tyrant of the 

 rivers, and some curious instances are on record, of 



* The Latin name for the Salmon in Pliny, ix. 15. 



