Chambers. — The Maskinonge. 177 



Dr. Prince: Yes. At the same time, there are several species of the 

 jackfish or northern pike. There is the big northern fish, Bsox lucius, and 

 there are a number of other varieties. You would never confuse these witfi 

 the maskinonge, which is really a very large fish ; it runs to a considerable 

 size. 



Mr. E. W. Cobb: In Becker County, Minnesota, we have a fish that 

 some call pickerel and others that are called northern pike. They are dis- 

 tinguished by the difTerence in size; there is also an oblong, light-colored 

 spot which indicates the pickerel. You will find them with that identical 

 cheek and gill-cover marking, following back from the eye. But the whole 

 thing is very confusing to us. 



Dr. Prince: The publication referred to by Mr. Leach makes that 

 plain; every species is described so that confusion can be avoided. 



Mr. E. W. Cobb: I have that; but on this fish I found the identical 

 scale marking that he finds on the "muskellunge." I could not convince 

 anybody up there that these fish were "muskellunge," because they have 

 identically the same markings as the pickerel, and are the same shape. 



Dr. Prince: Maskinonge is not a fish that is thought to extend to 

 the far west, though a letter has recently reached me from a correspondent 

 who claims that it occurs in South Saskatchewan. 



Mr. E. W. Cobb: We have what we call the "muskellunge" in the 

 upper Mississippi — a somewhat darker fish with dark bands. It is a very 

 beautiful fish. Its coloration is hard to describe, but when it comes out of 

 the water it shows a brilliant golden color as though it were draped over 

 with something like glistening sheen, showing underneath a sort of change- 

 able glistening hue. Some of them weigh 30 to 35 pounds. 



Mr. Chambers: I have some sympathy with the use of the name 

 "pickerel" for "pike," because I remember that in England the small pike 

 are called pickerel. But unfortunately, in Canada, and I suppose also in 

 some parts of the northern states, the name "pickerel" has been applied 

 erroneously to the pike perch, or the dore, as it is known to French- 

 Canadians. 



