Aprii. 9, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



283 



THE PIKE FAMILY.-II. 



HAVING- already considered the typical pike, the best 

 known and most widely distributed of its family, 

 and probably the oldest in point of time, let us pass to' a 

 review of the smalJer members of the same family, which 

 have been grouped under tlie subgeneric name "of Pico- 

 rellus, none of which have the extensive range of the 

 pike, nor his surpassing size. In the pike the cheek is 

 scaled, but the lower half of the gill cover is scaleless, 

 while in the group PicoreUus both the cheeks and gill- 

 covers are scaly. These fishes are best entitled to the 

 name pickerel, which means little pike. They may be 

 readily distinguished from the pike and the maecalonge 

 by their difference in coloration, the ground color being 

 green, while in the pike and mascalonge it is grayish. 

 The pickerels, again, are marked with streaks or bars, 

 while the other two species have spots of whitish or 

 blackish. The young pike, it is true, has pale bars, but 

 these are in a much smaller number and very different 

 from those of the pickei-els. 



The pickerels, as we shall hereafter call them, are now 

 referred to three species, two of which are found east of 

 the Alieg-henies, froai Maine to Floiida, and the other 

 inhabiting the Ohio snd Mississippi valleys and the trlliu- 

 taries of the Great Lakes. 



The CH.4IN Pickerel (Esox reticiclatiis). 



The largest member of this group is the eastern pick- 

 erel, Esox reticnlatus. This species is sometimes called 

 chain pickerel, green pike. Federation pike, and in the 

 Southern States jack. The Federation pike of Dr, Mitch- 

 ell was obtained by him from Oneida Lake, and as its 

 coloration is peculiar. I 

 quote his account: *'The 

 four individuals now be- 

 fore me were obtained by 

 Mr. Wm. Sykes on the 

 26th January, 1825. The 

 largest is 23in. long, and 

 more than 9 in. greatest 

 girth. Eyes yellow: tail 



forked; skin covered Avith ^ 

 small scales. Color of 

 the back and upper pvsrt 

 of the head brown, al- 

 m'^st running into black; 

 all the contiguous parts 

 brown, running into yel- 

 lowish or orange, and the 

 yellow ending in the 

 snowy or silvery white 

 of the belly. The broad 

 side, that is the space be- 

 tween the back and belly, 

 is beautifully and curi- 

 ously variegated with 

 irregular black lines, 

 which intero.-culate with 

 each other all the way 

 from the eyes to the tail, 

 and sirrround spaces of 

 various sizes and figures, 

 all of which are fantastic 

 and odd. Toward the 

 belly and tail these black 

 lines lose themselves or 

 end abruptly. S o m e- 

 times they are oblong 

 and roundish spc ts. The 

 modifications of these 

 colors give the fish a very 

 striking and indeed ele- 

 gant appearance, quite 

 equal to the Spanish 

 mackerel, or indeed su- 

 perior to it. * * * The 

 fins are reddish and their 

 color contrasts admirably 

 with the others to in- 

 crease the beauty of the 

 fish. I know of no fish 

 of the fresh, or even of 

 the salt-water, in the 



market and region of New York that equals it. The flesh 

 is savory and fine." The origin of the common name 

 Federation pike is somewhat singular. Dr. Mitchiii 

 found that the brancbiostegal rays and tho=e of the pec- 

 toral and dorsal fins wfre almost uniformly thirteen in 

 numhpr, and thereby suggestive to the original States in 

 the Uoion. It is evident that Dr- Mitchili's >-pecimens 

 were in the spawning condition, and this will account 

 for the peculiar coloration. Although the ground color 

 of this pickerel is usually greenish, it is subject to a great 

 deal of variation. De Kay says: "In some it is deep 

 green, varyinj? to bluish on"^the back and head, or bluish 

 gray; in others it is of a golden or olive yellow on the 

 sides, the free margins of the scales bordered with black. 

 Numerous irregular abbreviated longitudinal du-ky 

 streaks on the sides of the body, united with similar 

 oblique streaks, and producing an imperfectly reticulated 

 appearance. Iris yellowish varied with blue. The fins 

 greenish, those below tinged with reddish." 



Esox retieulcitus derives its name from the markings 

 on the body, which are dark on a green ground. Occa- 

 sionally an individual is found which lacks the dark 

 reticulations altogether, and the body shows only a uni- 

 form pale green. Such a jMckerel was obtained from the 

 Potomac River a few years ago. The coloration of the 

 species of Esox changes very greatly with age. The 

 young retieulatus, for example, resembles lucms in its 

 markings, the reticulations being inconspicuous. There 

 is, also, a faint white stripe along the middle of the body 

 in the second half of its length. 



Distribution,— 1b% common eastern pickerel does not 

 occur west of the Allegheny Mountains, but east of this 

 range it is found from Maine to Florida and Alabama. 

 It lives in ponds and lakes as well as in streams. Dr. 

 Kenworthy mentions as among the best points in Florida, 

 tributaries of the St. John's between Mandarin and Lake 

 Monroe. In these streams the bream, a member of the 

 sttnfish family, is associated with the pickerel- Another 

 one of the pickerels is al-o found in FlTida, the smaller 

 of the two eastern species {Esox americanm). In Ver- 

 mont iheE. reMeulatus is the common pickerel on the east 

 side of the Green Mountains, while on the west side of 

 this range the pike hicivs) is known as the piekerel. 



5't'2r<.— The species reaches a length of 2ft., and individ- 

 uals weighing Hlbs. are recorded, but the average weight 

 is much less. 



Habits. — This, like the pike, is one of the most pre- 

 daeeous of all our fishes, and its increased distribution is, 

 therefore, very undesii'able, and yet it has been trans- 

 ported to numerous points by inhabitants of the neighbor- 

 hood and has greatly multiplied. Pickerel are extremely 

 abundant in many of the large rivers, as, for example, 

 the Potomac and the Connecticut. It is to be found in 

 great numbers in the shelter of river grasses and in the 

 ponds among the stems of water plants, where it lies in 

 wait for minnows, of which it consumes vast numbers. 

 In the article upon the pike, an incident showing the 

 wonderful voracity of that species is given, and the same 

 is equally true of the pickerel. 



The pickerel spawns in winter and early spring. 

 Thoreau has given the following graphic description of 

 the feeding habits of the species. He styles it "the 

 swiftest, wariest and most ravenous of fishes, which 

 Josselyn calls the River Wolf. It is a solemn , stately , 

 ruminant fish, lurking under the shadow of a pad at 

 noon, with slow, circumspect, voracious eye; motionless 

 as a jewel set in water, or moving slowly along to take 

 up its position ; darting from time to time at such unlucky 

 fish or fi-og or insect as comes within its range, and swal- 

 lowing it at a gulp. Sometimes a striped snake, bound 

 to greener meadows across the stream, ends its undula- 

 tory progress in the same receptacle." 

 • Edible QuaUties. — Herbert describes it as having coarse, 

 watery flesh, of little value for the table. The species, 

 however, is pretty generally considered as a fairly good 

 table fish, its flesh in most localities being white and of 



Th-b Chai^- Piokeeel {Esox reticnlatm). 



The Little Pickeeel {Esox vemiiculatus). 



good flavor, with just a little tendency to toughness and 

 dryness. 



Mode of Capture.— Trolling with the spoon or still-fish- 

 ing with live oaif, shiners, pickerel frogs, etc., are good 

 methods of angling for the pickerel. The hooks should 

 be tied on gimp and a minnow gang is often effective. 

 The fish bites with great freedom and boldness, and fights 

 with great stubbornness when hooked. 



Tivo small members of the sub-genus PicoreUus remain 

 to be considered. One of these is western and the other 

 eastern. 



The Little Pickerel (Esox vermieulatus). 



The small pickerel of the West inhabits the Ohio val- 

 ley, the upper Mississippi valley and streams flowing into 

 the Cxreat Likes from the south. It is common in ponds 

 formed in the spring by the overflow of river banks and 

 has frequently been taken in large numbers in cornfields. 

 Last spring we referred to a circumstance of this kind, 

 which was brought to our notice by Mr, S. F. Denton 

 while in Ohio collecting natural history specimens. He 

 told us that the people at the time were '-fishing in the 

 cornfield." This sojourn in overflow waters is often fol- 

 lowed by great destruction of fish when the ponds dry up. 



The little pi'''kerel grows to the length of about one foot, 

 and is too small to be of much importance as a food fish. 

 The sides of the body are green or grayish a,nd usually 

 have many reticulations or irregular streaks, but these 

 may be entirely absent. The sides of the head are gen- 

 erally variegated. A dark bar extends downward from 

 the eye and another one forward. The fins are plain 

 except that the caudal is sometimes mottled at its base. 



As a member of the pike family, this fish keeps up its 

 reputation for voracity and destroys vast numbers of 

 fishes smaller than itself. It is very prolific and congre- 

 gates in swarms ascending small streams in the epnng. 



The Bandep Pickerel {Esox amerioanua). 



This is a fish of the same size as the last, but occurs 

 only east of the Alleghanies from Massachusetts to Florida. 

 De Kay calls it the varied pickerel. The body color is 

 dark green, and the sides are ornamented with about 

 twenty dark eurred bars, which are usually very distinct, 



A black stripe passes along the snout and through the 

 eye to the upper edge of the gill-cover; another extends 

 from the eye downward on the cheek. The fins are not 

 mottled or banded. 



De Kay describes the color as "dark brownish black 

 above, descending in irregtdar dark clouds a short dis- 

 tance on the sides. Sides greenish yellow, with irregular 

 vertical brown stripes descending on the belly. Dorsal 

 and caudal fins dark brown. The pectorals, ventral and 

 oval lighter colored; often, by infiltration,' reddish. A 

 short dark band from the eye to the angle of the jaw." 



The banded pickerel is similar in general appearance 

 and liabits to the little pickerel of the West. It frequents 

 rapid brooks and clear, cold waters, and is said to be not 

 injurious to trout when inhabiting the same stream. The 

 species scarcely reaches a foot in length, and individuals 

 will not average more than ^Ib. in weight, 



Dr, De Kay Ibelieved the banded pickerel to be identical 

 with the mackerel pike of Mitchiii, and his supposition 

 appears to have been well founded. Many streams and 

 ponds of Long Island contain this handsome little species 

 in abundance, and only its small size spoils it for a game 

 fish, ^T. H. Bean. 



ANGLING RETREATS OF MAINE. 



VI. — W THE VICINITY OF MONSON. 



ONE of the delightful drives for the tourist is over the 

 road to the head of Sebec Lake through the pleas- 

 ant farming town of Willimantic pleasantly situated in 

 the Wilson River valley. About six miles from Monson, 

 at a place called William's Mills, a highway in Williman- 

 tic crosses this river and runs in a northerly direction, 



ending in a new farm on 

 the rim of the great wil- 

 derness. Here is Grind- 

 stone Pond, 3 beautiful 

 little sheet of water and 

 famous for its great 

 > abundance of spotted 



trout, and also for being 

 the place where a local 

 angler, John McDermott, 

 immortalized his name 

 by resisting the efforts of 

 the owner of the land 

 around the pond to pre- 

 vent sportsmen and fish- 

 ermen from fishing in its 

 waters. The result waa 

 a law suit, and a decision 

 by the Supreme Court of 

 Maine that all great 

 ponds (being ponds of ten 

 acres in size) were free 

 to the public as highways 

 for fishing and fowling. 

 The opinion in this im- 

 portant and interesting 

 case (Barrows vs. Mc- 

 Dermott) was rendered 

 May 27, 1882, and may 

 be fotmd in the 73 Maine 

 Reports, p. 441. 



In the township of 

 Shirley adjacent to Mon- 

 son on the west and 

 northwest are also some 

 excellent trout ponds. 

 The two Bunker ponds 

 and the Marble pond are 

 not very far from the 

 Spectacle ponds. There 

 are several others some 

 eight miles west of Shir- 

 ley Mills, a small village 

 on the B. & P. railroad 

 accessible by buckboard. 

 Among these the most 

 popular are the RiddeU 

 and Indian ponds. The 

 entire chain of ponds in 

 that locality is very fa- 

 mous for superior trout 

 fishing. It is not unusual for a party of two or three to 

 bring away from them two hundred trout averaging one 

 pound in size as trophies of a three days" fishing trip. A 

 good camp is in the vicinity. 



Among the pleasant drives near Monson is one of about 

 four miles over hills and through the green woods to 

 Blanehard, which is in a deep valley through which 

 wanders the Piscataquis River, where many enjoy the 

 pleasures of stream fishing in its numerous gorges. The 

 high tops of Russell and Bald Mountains, grim-visaged 

 and spruce-clad, look down upon pretty and pastoral 

 scenes along the shores of this still and peaceful running 

 river. On the sides of Russell and near Bald Mountain 

 are several good trout ponds. 



The best white perch fishing in this neighborhood is at 

 Kingsbury pond in Kingsbury plantation, sixteen miles 

 southwest from this place. There they are found in large 

 numbers, as well as an abundance of pickerel. A club 

 house owned by parties from Massachusetts is located on 

 its shores. 



Piper pond is in the town of Abbott, ten miles distant 

 from Monson. It is three miles in area and many large 

 lake trout are taken there. Pickerel and white' perch 

 are also plenty. Whetstone is in the same town, and is 

 considerably smaller than Piper, but has much better 

 spotted trout fishing. It is only a short distance from the 

 former. Greenlief pond, also in Abbot, is a good pickerel 

 pond, but has no trout. 



The principal game here that the sportsmen are inter- 

 ested in are moose, deer, caribou, grouse and ducks. 

 Moose are not as common in this immediate vicinity as 

 they are in the wilds above Moosehead Lake, yet they are 

 occasionally seen in the Elliotts ville forests. But caribou 

 and deer abound in great numbers in the northern part 

 of this town, and many are killed each year after Oct. 1. 

 It is a mountainous and uneven country well calculated 

 for their retreats. 



Throuehoufc Blliottsville and in the region beyond, 

 around the wild mountains and the lakes, th& sportsman 

 from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1 can with a guide familiar with the 

 country secure his lawful number at almost any time. 



Other excellent places in near prosimity to Monson for 

 capturing large game are the Blanehard, Square Moun-. 



