916 FISHES—ESOCID.A. 
sox reticulatus, KIRTLAND, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., v, 1846, 233, pl. 10, f. 2 (not LeSueur, 
first carefully distinguished from the Muskallunge), 
Esox deprandus (LESUEUR), Cuv. and VAL., xviii, 1846, 336.—Copr, Proc. Acad. Nat. 
Sci. Phila., 1865, 79; Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1866, 408.—GuUNTHER, Cat, Fishes 
Brit. Mus., vi, 1867, 2. 
Ksox boreus, AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 1850, 317. 
Esox lucioides, AUCT. 
Description —Body elongate; the head very long; eye midway in head, 64 in its 
length, in specimens 18 inches in length ; mouth proportionately rather larger than in the 
other pikes ; the palatine teeth much larger than those of the vomer, except in front, the 
two series about equal in length; scales a little larger than in the Muskallunge; lower 
two-thirds of the opercle, or from the eye downward, naked ; cheeks scaled; the scales 
on the lower half of the cheeks smaller than those of the upper; coloration bluish or 
greenish-gray, with many yellowish white spots rather smaller than the eye, and ar- 
ranged somewhat in rows; eye yellow; vertical fins with rounded, black spots; scales 
of the back with shiny, triangular specks. Young fishes are often darker and scarcely 
spotted, but marked with yellowish-white bars, directed downward and forward, which 
later break up in spots; sides of head with 3 or 4 horizontal, whitish bars, one of them 
bounding the scaly part of the operculum ; head 33; depth5; D.17; A. 16; V.11; Lat. 1]. 
120-125; B. 15. European specimens have mostly but 13 or 14 branchiostegals. Length 
2 to 4 feet. E 
Habitat, waters of Northern North America, from the Great Lake Region to Alaska, 
and in all waters of Northern Asia and Europe, one of the most widely diffused of fresh 
water fishes. It is occasionally taken in tributaries of the Ohio River, but is very 
abundant in Ohio in the northern part only. ’ 
Diagnosis.—This species may be known at once by its spots, which are 
pale or yellowish on a darker ground, and by its scaly cheeks and half- 
bare operculum. 
Habits: —The Pike is very abundant in all the streams and ponds trib- 
utary to Lake Erie, as well as in the lake itself. In the tributaries of 
the Ohio it is less common, although frequently taken. It, however, 
prefers cool waters. It is an important fish in the markets, and is read- 
ily sold, although it is not a fish of the very first grade. 
This species has long served as the emblem of rapacity among fishes. 
‘They are mere machines for the assimilation of other organisms,” feed- 
ing freely on any animate thing which they can eaten and fortunately 
they can sometimes catch each other. 
It is stated that Dr. E. T. Sturtevant once “ put two young Pickerel 
about five inches long in a trough with a great quantity of little Cypra- 
noids of about one inch inlength. These two Pickerel ate 122 Minnows 
the first day, 180 the second day, and 150 the third day, and increased one 
inch in length in forty-eight hours.” In this statement, the rate of 
growth is, of course, exaggerated ; but they will unquestionably devour 
Minnows till the tail of the last one hangs out of the mouth, there being 
no room to swallow it. 
