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The Pick-er-el 
T HE word “pick-er-el” means a “little 
pike,” so this is really a small one 
of the pike family of fishes. Its 
body is long and slender and somewhat flat. 
See what a pointed snout he has! His 
mouth is so big that its opening extends 
through half the length of his head. He is 
a greedy eater, living on other fish, frogs, 
snakes, and water rats. Some of the big 
pike are four feet long, but a pick-er-el is usually not more than two feet 
long. He is a fresh-water fish, and is found in the colder lakes and streams. 
The Weakfish 
W HEN the Dutch were catching 
this fish along the North Atlantic 
Coast, they found that the hook 
was very liable to tear the tender mouth of 
the fish, so they called it the “weakfish.” 
It has other names, too. All the way from 
Florida to Nova Scotia it is found, and is 
an excellent food. It is brownish silver 
color on top, with small dark brown spots 
arranged in lines and running downward. You see by the way this fish’s 
tail is curved, that he is just coming up alongside, so you can see him. 
The Butterfish 
■ ^HERE! That fish looks as flat as a pancake!” you will certainly 
say when you see this picture. That is true; he does. See how 
small his mouth is. He is found all along the Atlantic Coast in 
summer, coming and going with the schools 
of mack-er-el. People give him different 
names in different places, such as “dollar 
fish,” “pumpkin-seed,” and “sheepshead,” 
according to what they think he looks like. 
It swims about with the jelly-fish, for under 
their broad bodies the little butterfishes 
seem to find a shelter their mother and 
father cannot give. i 
