120 THE PIKE, &C. 



for the well set appetite of man, instead of the sharpened 

 teeth and unsatiable desires of one of their own species." 



They generally spawn in the months of March and April, 

 and sometimes, in some parts of the country, as early as 

 February. Their colors, when in good water and under fa- 

 vorable circumstances, are exceedingly beautiful. Smith re- 

 marks that " during the height of the season, their colors are 

 extremely brilliant, being green, diversified with bright yel- 

 low spots ; at the close of the season the green fades to a 

 grayish hue; and the yellow spots become faint and in- 

 distinct." 



They are fond of still, shady spots, under and near the 

 weed called pickerel-weed, and appear to grow better and 

 larger in ponds and lakes than in swift running streams. In 

 the extreme heat of summer, they are often found near the 

 surface, where they are sometimes taken with a wire noose, 

 attached to a long pole. They are so bold that they will ofteu 

 take a bait after breaking their hold a few minutes previous, 

 and they have been taken in several instances with a number 

 of hooks imbedded in the flesh in the inside of their mouths. 



In winter, they retreat to the deep holes, and under rocky 

 projections, stumps of trees, roots, &c., from 'which places 

 by making a hole in the ice, they are readily taken by spear 

 ing, or with a drop-line with a small live fish for bait. At 

 this season of the year their appearance is somewhat changed, 

 their colors being less brilliant, and their spots of a darker hue. 



Elaine remarks : " The abstinence of the pike and jack is 

 no less singular than their voracity ; during the summer 

 months their digestive functions are somewhat torpid, which 

 appears a remarkable peculiarity in the pike economy, seeing 

 it must be in inverse ratio to the wants of the fish, for they must; 

 be at this time in a state of emaciation from the effects of 

 spawning ; and the circumstance is fortunate, for were the 

 appetite as usual, few young fry could escape ; but during 



