254 the living ANIxMALS OF THE WORLD 
In the winter carp either bury themselves in the mud, or lie among the water-weeds or 
roots of trees at the bottom. They are vegetarians for the most part, with no teeth in their 
mouths, but strong, powerful grinding-teeth in their throats; they are believed to regurgitate 
their food and chew it, somewhat as a cow chews the cud. 
With regard to the weight which this fish attains, one of 19 lbs. was taken at Sheffield 
Park in 1882. This was e.xceptionally large; but one still larger, weighing 21 lbs. 10 ozs., was 
caught at Bayham Abbey, near Lamberhurst, in 1870; while one of 22 lbs. was exhibited 
many years ago to the Zoological Society. In the German lakes these fish reach a weight 
of 40 lbs., or even more. 
Carp will, however, occasionally eat small fish, and have even been caught with a salmon-fly. 
CHAPTER XII 
PIKES, ARAPAIMAS, BEAKED SALMON, AND SCOPELIDS 
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 
T he Pike.S are strictly fresh-water fishes, which are. extremely voracious, and grow 
to a large size. They are met with in most of the fresh-waters of Europe, Asia, and 
America ; yet they must be regarded rather as a Western than an Eastern type, 
since all the known species occur in America, whilst only one — the COMMON PiKE — is known 
outside that country. These fishes capture their prey by stealth — practised, however, not so 
much by concealment as by lying suspended in the water, perfectly motionless save for the 
movement of the gills, which is barely perceptible. When the victim comes within reach, it is 
seized by a sudden rush. The form of the body is admirably adapted to this manner of feeding, 
resembling rather a submerged log than a fish. It is, furthermore, on account of this shape 
that the name Pike has been bestowed, since it recalls the “pike” borne by the soldiers of 
bygone days. 
When on the feed, nothing comes amiss to pike, and the havoc they commit in 
trout-streams is enormous. Not only other fishes are devoured, but both the young and 
adults of water-birds are frequently seized, and instances are on record where boys have beets 
attacked while bathing. The mouth of a pike bristles with teeth, even the roof being thickly 
covered. These are all attached by hinges, moving readily backwards towards the throat, sc 
as to assist the swallowing operation, but preventing any possibility of the victim’s escape. 
In Great Britain the 
pike is held in high 
esteem by anglers, though 
as an article of food it does 
not find much favour. The 
females are larger than 
the males. The largest 
specimens attain a length 
of about 4 feet, sometimes 
a little more, and a weight 
of from 36 to 37 lbs. 
About six species of 
pike are known, five of 
wdiich are confined to 
American waters. Of these, 
the one known as the 
PUu ly Vr. R. Shufeuq MuSKET-LUNGE, or MUS- 
KINONGE, attains the same 
large size as the common 
PIKE 
Th; most 'Voracious of fresh-ivater fishes 
