FISHES OF NEW YORK 291 



fin alone. It can turn its head sideways at an angle and remain 

 awhile in that position. 



When feeding, it gorges the morsel at one attempt, after star- 

 ing at it a while. Sometimes when overfed, the dogfish can not 

 swim about at all, but lies like a log on the bottom. (After 



Eugene Smith^) 



Family luciidae^ 



Pikes 



Genus lucius Rafinesque 



Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed pos- 

 teriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout prolonged and 

 depressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half the 

 length of the head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not pro- 

 tractile, most of its margin formed by the maxillaries, which 

 are quite long and provided with a supplemental bone, pre- 

 maxillaries, vomer and palatines with broad bands of strong 

 cardiform teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with 

 strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small 

 teeth; head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less 

 scaly; gill openings very wide; gill membranes separate, free 

 from the isthmus; gill rakers tuberclelike, toothed; branchio- 

 stegals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, obsolete in 

 young specimens, developed in the adult; dorsal posterior, 

 opposite and similar to anal; caudal fin emarginate; pectoral 

 fins small, inserted low; ventrals rather posterior; vent normal; 

 no adipose fin; no barbels; stomach not caecal, without pyloric 

 appendages; pseudobranchiae glandular, hidden; air bladder 

 simple. Basis cranii double (Cope). Fishes of moderate or 

 large size, inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of 

 Europe, Asia and North America. 



The genus Lucius is readily subdivided into three groups 

 distinguished by their size, scaling and coloration. In the first 

 group are three species of true pickerels, in which the cheeks 

 and opercles are entirely scaly, the color is greenish, usually 

 with dark reticulations, and the largest species reaches a 



' Linn. soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 27-28. 



