



ESOCIDiE. 









Dimensions 







Of Lake Huron 



specimen 



dried. 





Inches. 



Lines. 







Length from end of snout to tips of caudal 



26 



6 



Length 



of pectorals . . 



., ,, tips of central and caudal ray 



s25 



6 



» 



ventrals . 



„ „ end of scales on caudal 



23 



8 



i) 



attachment of dorsal 



„ „ anus .... 



18 







» 



central rays of ditto 



„ „ beginning of dorsal . 



17 



6 



» 



attachment of anal . 



„ j, tip of gill-cover 



6 



3 



» 



central rays of ditto 



„ „ orbit .... 



2 



9 



j» 



lobes of caudal . 



„ of labials .... 



2 



5 



j) 



central rays of ditto 



„ intermaxillaries 







9 



„ 



lateral line 



127 



lower jaw 



1 



Extent of scales beyond base of caudal 



Of recent specimen taken in the Saskatchewan. 



Length from end of snout to tips of caudal . 26 6 Length of oesophagus and stomach 



,, from pylorus to rectum . 

 ,, of rectum ... 

 „ whole alimentary canal 



„ base of ditto 

 ,, anus . 

 of caudal fin . . 



22 



6 



17 







3 



6 



Inches. 



Lines 



2 



6 



2 



3 



2 



10 



2 



8% 



2 



1 



2 



7 



3 



11 



1 



8 



17 



3 



1 







8 







15 







2 



6 



25 



6 



[54.] 



2. Esox estor. (Le Sueur.) The MasMnonge. 



Esox estor. Cuvier, Rig. An., ii., p. 282. 



Our specimen of this pike was obtained at Penetanguishene, on Lake Huron, 

 where it is rather scarce, being more common in Lake Erie and the southern 

 Canadian waters. We did not meet with it in any of the rivers or lakes that dis- 

 charge themselves into Hudson's Bay or the Polar Sea. Mr. Todd informed me 

 that in the spring, which is its spawning season, it frequents the small rivers that 

 fall into Lake Simcoe, and that it feeds on u small, gelatinous, green balls which 

 grow on the sides of banks under water, and on small fishes." It attains the weight 

 of twenty-eight pounds, and is considered as much preferable to the common pike 

 for the table. It is a curious circumstance, that though the Maskinonge first 

 received a distinct specific name from M. Le Sueur, his original description (Journ. 

 Ac. Sc. Phil., i. p. 413), quoted in the Regne Animal, applies exactly to the 

 E. lucius, and not at all to estor. Our specimen of the latter was identified by 

 Cuvier. 



DESCRIPTION 



Of a Lake Huron specimen. 



Colour. — It differs from the Common Pike, in the general tint of the body being lighter 



than the markings : the back is rather dark, the sides light bluish-grey, interspersed with 



roundish distinct or confluent spots about the size of buck-shot. When exposed to a strong 



