PIKE. 
GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Upper jaw shorter than the lower. 
Teeth in the jaws, the palate, and the tongue. 
Body oblong, slender, and compressed. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
Esox lucius. E. rostro depresso subaequali. Linn. Syst. Hat. 
Gmel. l. p. i3go. 
Depressed subequal jaws. 
Esox lucius. Capite compressor rictu amplo. 
Bloch, pi. 32. 
Esox rostro plagioplateo. Art. Synon. 26. 
Pike. . . Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 320. no. 153. pi. 63. 
Will. Ichth. p. 236. Shaw Gen. Zool. 5. 
p. 100. pi. 108. 
When first these fish were introduced into England 
in the reign of Henry the Eighth, they were so rare 
that a pike was sold for double the price of a house 
lamb in February, and a pickerel for more than a 
fat capon. How far this may be depended on Mr. 
Pennant cannot say, for the fish is mentioned in 
the Boke of St. Albons , printed in the year 14 pd, 
and is not there spoken of as a scarce fish, as was 
