MUD MINNOW. 913 



titute of fish, will perhaps yield a number of mud fish on stirring up the 

 mud at the bottom and drawing a seine through it. Ditches in the 

 prairies of Wisconsin, or mere bog-holes, apparently afiording lodgment 

 to nothing beyond tad-poles, may thus be found filled with Melanurua." 

 It, however, is fond of the muddy bottoms of clear, quiet waters, and is 

 seldom found in streams which are constantly turbid. 



The name Dog fish, frequently applied to the species, comes from its 

 resemblance to the young of Amia calva, and many fishermen maintain 

 stoutly the identity of the two. The entire dissimilarity of the dorsal 

 fins of Amia and Umbra will separate them at sight. 



The Mud-minnow of the coast streams from New York southward, 

 shows some differences from the Mud-minnow of the Great Lake Region, 

 and is possibly a different species. Umbra pygmsea, (DeKay) Bean. 



FAMILY XVII. ESOCID^. THE PIKES. 



Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed ; head long ; the Inont mnch 

 prolonged and depressed ; mouth very large ; its cleft forming abont half the length of 

 the head ; lower jaw the longer ; upper jaw not i*otraotile, most of its margin formed 

 by the maxillaries, which are qnite 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 ; tongae 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 taber- 

 ole-like, toothed ; branchiostegala lS-20 ; scales small ; lateral line weak, obsolete in 

 young specimens, developed in the adult ; dorsal posterior, opposite and similar t 

 anal ; caudal fin emarginate ; pectoral fins small, inserted low ; ventrals rather post- 

 erior; vent normal; no adipose fin; no barbels; stomach not coecal, without pyloric 

 appendages; pseudobranchise glandular, hidden; air-bladder simple. Fishes of mode- 

 rate or large size inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and 

 North America. Genus one; species abont six, one of them coemopolitan, the rest all 

 confined to America. The species are all noted for their greediness and voracity. 



Gbnus 58. ESOX. Linnaeus. 



Esox, LiNNiEUS, Systema Naturse, 1758 (luoiut), 



Luciua, Bafinesque, Indice d'lttiol. Sicil., 1810 (Indus). 



Pieorellus, Rapinbbqub, Ich. Oh., 1820, 70 (vittatm). t 



Muscalongus, Jordan, Klippart's Second Bept. Ohio Fish Commr., 1878, 92 (noliUor), 



Type, Eiox lucius, L. 



Etymology, Latin, Esox, a pike, probably from isos, equal, oxus, sharp. 



The characters of the genus are included above. There are three sections of the 

 genus which may be defined as follows : 



Pieorellus, Bafinesqub. — Branchiostegals 12 to 14 ; cheeks as well as opercles entirely 

 soaly ; species of generally small size, greenish, barred or reticulated with darker 

 (species, salmoneut). 



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