CHAPTER VIII 

 THE PIKE 



Relatives of the Pike. Distribution of our species : specific 

 characters size food and habits greediness sometimes 

 causes death Pike rushing into the jaws of another in 

 pursuit of prey cannibalism attacks on large animals 

 and man supposed dislike of Tench pairing breeding 

 habits of fry rate of growth age as food names and 

 their derivation 



THE PIKE (Esox Indus] is a member of a 

 small order (Haplomi\ well defined by 

 osteological characters, which contains in addition 

 to the Pike family the Mudfishes (UmbridcB], small 

 fishes of stagnant pools, swamps, and ditches, one 

 species inhabiting Austria - Hungary, the other 

 North America, and the Blackfishes (Dalliida), 

 comprising a single species in Alaska and Siberia, 

 a curious fish of extraordinary vitality, remaining 

 frozen for weeks in the winter and thawing out as 

 lively as ever. 



The Pike family includes only one genus (Esox), 

 with five species, all found in North America. In 

 the United States the three southern species are 

 the smallest, and are known as Pickerel, whilst the 

 giant Maskinongy of Canada grows to a length of 

 8 feet and a weight of more than 100 Ibs. 



Only one species occurs in the Old World at 



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