FISHES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 93 

Habits.—The pike is a voracious fish and destroys everything within 
its reach in the form of animal life—other fish, water birds and mammals 
are consumed in enormous numbers. From its concealment, like a beast 
of prey, it darts out suddenly upon its victims and seldom misses its 
mark. The pike is even more destructive than the pickerel and two of 
the latter, measuring five inches in length, have been reported to eat 
more than one hundred minnows in a day. Spawning takes place in 
winter and early spring on shallows and frequently upon overflowed 
meadows. The eggs are about one-eighth inch in diameter and a female 
weighing thirty-two pounds was estimated by Buckland to contain 
595,000. The young pike has a very large yolk sac. The period of 
hatching varies with the temperature of the water, from fourteen to 
thirty days. The female is said to be larger than the male; the fish 
breeds at the age of three years. At the age of one year the fish may 
reach a length of twelve inches and, if well supplied with food, it will 
increase in weight from two to three pounds yearly. 
Uses and Capture.—The pike is a fairly good food fish and forms an 
important element of the Lake Erie fisheries. As a game fish the spe- 
cies is widely known. It can be readily caught by trolling or spinning 
or on lines set under the ice. Live minnows and frogs are favorite baits 
and Dr. Henshall says it will rise to a large gaudy fly. Im Lake George 
the white chub is one of the best known baits. 
SuBGENUS MASCALONGUS. 
The largest member of the pike family is the single representative of the section 
Mascalongus, in which the lower half of the cheeks, as wellas of the opercles, is scale- 
less. The scales are smaller than in the other groups. The sides and vertical fins 
are profusely covered with roundish black spots on a pale ground. The branchios- 
tegals number 17 to 19. A color variety is occasionally met with having the body 
uniformly dark gray, unspotted. 
107. Esox nobilior Txompsoy. 
The Mascalonge. (Figure 57.) 
The mascalonge has a stout and moderately elongate body, its greatest depth mid- 
way between the pectoral and ventral fins, one-fifth to one-sixth of the total length 
to the end of the scales. The caudal peduncle is short and slender, its depth one- 
third of greatest depth. The length of the head is two-sevenths of the total without 
the caudal, and the small eye equals less than one-fourth length of snout. The eye 
is nearly in the middle of the length of the head. The mouth is very large; the 
maxilla extends to below the hind margin of the eye; the teeth are as in the pike, 
buteven more formidable; dorsal and anal far back, the origin of the former a little 
in advance of the anal origin; the length of dorsal base about two-tifths head; longest 
dorsal ray one-third head; caudal deeply forked; ventral midway between end of 
head and end of anal, its length equal to one-half depth of body; pectoral nearly 
equals post orbital part of head. B. 17 to 19; D. 17; A. 16; V. 12; scales in lateral 
line, 150. 
The color is usually dark gray, sometimes immaculate as in the color variety im- 
maculatus, but generally with numerous distinct, roundish, black spots about as 
large as buckshot. The dark spots are present only on the basal parts of the dorsal, 
anal and caudal fins. The lower parts are pale, the belly white. 
