THE SMELT 



319 



two centimetres long, and is the smallest known vertebrate. 

 Our commonest species on the shore or in brackish water 

 is Fundulus^ (Fig. 300). The minnows of the other family 

 have a narrow head without scales, and with few teeth in the 

 mouth. They occur exclusively in fresh water, and are known 

 as " shiners." The " goldfish " is related to this group. 



The pike and pickerel (Esox -) are roughl_y cyhndrical fishes, 

 with large mouth, elongated, depressed jaws, and strong. 



Fro. .301. — Ludua hicius, tho pik<\ About one-fifth nat. fiize. Photo, of 

 living animal by Dr. R. W. Shufcldt, ■•Bull. U. S. Fish Com.," 1899. 



hooked teeth. The}^ are large and voracious fresh-water 

 fishes, confined, with the exception of a single .species, to the 

 United States. The " muskallunge " of the Great Lakes 

 reaches a length of two metres. It is, fortunately, some- 

 what rare, otherwise there would he few other inhabitants 

 of our large streams. 



The shad is a representative of a family — the herring fam- 

 ily — which has pla3red an important part in the civilization 

 of Europe. The Emperor Charles V. said that the herring 

 brought greater wealth to the Netherlands than did America 



^fundus, bottom. 



2 isox, a fish living in the Rhine, mentioned l)y Pliny. 



