PICKEREL LYING IN WAIT FOR FOOD 



When placed in a tank for exhibition 

 it is a well-behaved fish, taking to its 

 artificial life in a very matter-of-fact 

 way. 



The expression of the keen eyes gives 

 to them a very dignified appearance. 

 The pike is exceedingly voracious ; it 

 preys upon nearly all species of fishes, 

 not even omitting its own kind. It is 

 surprising, even to one who is well ac- 

 quainted with fishes in general, to see 

 the size of a fish which a pike is capable 

 of swallowing. Frogs are particularly 

 liked by them. Its haunt is among the 

 water plants in a quiet place, choosing 

 still water, and it appears to prefer liv- 

 ing alone except in the breeding season, 

 when the pairs seek a suitable location 

 for spawning. 



The pike is said to grow rapidly in a 

 place where food is plentiful, often at- 

 taining a length of more than a foot 

 during the first year. In captivity the 

 growth is not rapid, but the increase in 

 size is quite marked. It is much less 

 susceptible to disease than the pickerel. 



The muskallunge attains a larger size 

 than any member of the family. The 



species found in the Great Lake region 

 are said to reach a weight of one hun- 

 dred pounds. The writer was recently 

 informed that in the year 1896 a speci- 

 men was caught in Chautauqua Lake 

 which weighed sixty-three pounds. Pre- 

 vious to this catch, it was supposed that 

 the species which inhabit Chautauqua 

 Lake did not exceed fifty pounds in 

 weight. This species is also found in 

 Conneaut Lake. 



A large muskallunge is truly a mag- 

 nificent fish. Its motion, when making 

 a strike for its prey, is grand indeed. It 

 is a powerful swimmer, and even an 

 eight or ten-pound fish, when it darts 

 for a small fish, gives the observer a 

 realizing sense of the tremendous speed 

 that it can attain. Although a fish with 

 a long body, it will turn abruptly, yet 

 gracefully, to avoid a collision with the 

 end of the tank. It is a very satisfac- 

 tory fish for exhibition in an aquarium, 

 being a good and regular feeder, and is 

 exceedingly hardy in captivity, much 

 more so than any of the other members 

 of the family. ■ 



The muskallunge, like all the pike 



275 



