The Pike Family 121 



Esox lucius. The Pike. Body elongate ; head 3^ ; depth 5 ; eye 6 ; 



B. 14 to 16; D. 16 or 17; A. 13 or 14; scales 125; cheeks 



entirely covered with scales ; lower half of opercles naked, upper 



half with scales. 

 Esox reticulatus. Eastern Pickerel. Body elongate ; head 3^ ; 



depth 6 ; eye 8 ; B. 14 to 16 ; D. 14 ; A. 13 ; scales 125 ; cheeks 



and opercles entirely covered with scales. 

 Esox vermiculatus. The Western Pickerel. Body elongate ; head 



3|; depth 5 to 6; eye 6; B. 12; D. 11 or 12 ; A. 11 or 12 ; 



scales 105 along the lateral line ; cheeks and opercles entirely 



covered with scales. 

 Esox americanus. The Banded Pickerel. Body elongate; head 3!; 



depth 5|; eye 5 ; B. 12 or 13; D. 11 or 12; A. H or 12; 



scales 105 ; cheeks and opercles entirely covered with scales. 



As some anglers find it difficult to distinguish 

 a large pike from a mascalonge, or a pike from a 

 pickerel, owing to the similar shape and appear- 

 ance, the several species can be easily identified 

 by means of the following artificial key: 



The mascalonge (Esox nobilior) has the upper part of both the 

 cheeks and gill-covers scaly, while the lower half of both cheeks 

 and gill-covers is naked; it has from 17 to 19 branchiostegal 

 rays (the branchiostegals are the rays on the under side of the 

 gill-cover, that, like the ribs of an umbrella, assist in opening 

 and closing it during breathing). Its coloration is of a uniform 

 grayish hue, or when marked with spots or bars they are always 

 of a much darker color or shade than the ground color. 



The pike (Esox lucius} has the cheeks entirely scaly, but only the 

 upper part of the gill-cover, the lower half being naked ; it has 

 from 14 to 1 6 branchiostegal rays ; its coloration is a bluish or 

 greenish gray, with elongated or bean-shaped spots covering 

 the sides, and which are always of a lighter hue than the ground 

 color. 



