THE MUSKALLUNGE AND ITS RELATIVES. 



The goodly, well-grown trout I with my angle strike, 

 AnJ with my bearded wire I take the ravenous pike. 



Drayton, "The Muse's Elysium." Nymphal 4. 



The Muskallunge, pike and pickerel 

 are related fishes, having similar habits 

 and belonging to the same genus. It is 

 the only genus of the pike family which 

 is considered ihe most ancient family of 

 the fresh-water fishes. There are but 

 six species, all of which, except the com- 

 mon pike, which is cosmopolitan, are 

 confined to the waters of the American 

 continent. These fishes are all noted 

 for their greediness and remarkable vo- 

 racity. They have been described as 

 "mere machines for the assimilation of 

 other organisms." They are graceful in 

 every motion and keenly alert as they lie 

 in wait or move slowly in search for 

 food. Thoreau speaks of the pickerel as 

 *'a solemn, stately, ruminant fish, lurk- 

 ing under the shadow of a lily pad at 

 noon, with still, circumspect, voracious 

 eye, motionless as a jewel set in water, 

 or moving slowly to take up its position ; 

 dashing from time to time at such- un- 

 lucky fish or frog or insect as comes 

 within its range and swallowing it at a 

 gulp. Sometimes a striped snake, bound 

 for greener meadows across the stream, 

 ends its undulatory progress in the same 

 receptacle." The greed of the Muskal- 

 lunge is well stated by Dr. Jordan, who 

 says, "Eighty pounds of Muskallunge 

 represents several tons of minnows, 

 whitefish and the like." 



With the possible exception of the 

 Muskallunge, the members of the pike 

 family are not held in high estimation 

 by the anglers of America. Dr. G. 

 Brown Goode attributes this dislike for 

 the pike and pickerel to the fact that 

 many of the American anglers "unite in 

 themselves the taste of the angler and 

 the fish culturist." It is indeed true 



that in any body of water where these 

 species are found, no other kinds can 

 hold their own. The fish culturist desires 

 their extermination and in this he is as- 

 sisted by the fish themselves. They are 

 cannibals and, as Dr. Goode adds, "only 

 a very limited number of these fish can 

 live in the same pond, for they devour 

 each other, and at the end only a few 

 patriarchs, imposing in strength, size 

 and voracity remain." 



The Muskallunge of our illustration is 

 the species that frequents the lakes and 

 rivers of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Of 

 this species General Israel Gerrard says : 

 "This is the fish that has just claims to 

 the name The Great Northern Pike, as 

 there is abundant and unquestionable tes- 

 timony of its enormous size, ranging 

 from forty, seventy-five, eighty and one 

 hundred and ten pounds in weight. The 

 habitat of this fish is the waters of the 

 Mississippi system and it has been well 

 known, under various local names, since 

 the earliest settlement of the West. It 

 is now found in the greatest abundance 

 and of the largest size in the clear cool 

 lakes of the Wisconsin and Minnesota 

 pineries, at the head of the tributaries 

 of the Mississippi." It is a "dauntless 

 marauder," a good fighter and because 

 of its immense size requires the most 

 skillful angling for its capture. 



There are three forms of the Muskal- 

 lunge. The typical form known as the 

 Great Pike is confined to the Great 

 Lakes and their tributaries. A variety 

 called the Chautauqua is found chiefly 

 in the Chautauqua lake, and is highly 

 prized as a game fish. The third form 

 is that of our illustration. The name of 

 these fishes is from the Indian name 

 "Noscononge," and is variously spelled. 



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