History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

184 FISHES. MALACOPTERYGIOUS. BeloneGen. XXVI. ESOX. Pike.—Snout oblong, rounded, depressed.The intermaxillaries, vomer, and palate-bones,armed with teeth.55. E. Liicius. Common Pike.— Bodyolive above, withyellow spots beneath white, with black ;spots.Lucius, Men: Pin. 100. Sibb. Scot. 25. Will. Ich. 236—E. Lucius,Linn. Syst.i. 510. Penn. Brit. Zool. iii. 320— E, Pickerel, Sul. ; S,Ged. ; W, Penhwyad ; G, Geat-iasg. — In lakes and pools. Common.This fish grows to a great size. Pennant states, that the largest he everheard of in England weighed 35 pounds. Dr Griersort mentions one taken inLoch Ken in Galloway, which weighed 61 pounds (Thomson's Annals of Philosophy,vol. iii. p. 428). Body nearly of equal thickness, suddenly decreasingbehind the dorsal and anal" fins. D. 21, P. 15, v. 2. A. 18. Exceedinglyvoracious. I have found their own fry, an inch and a half long,in their stomach,in the month of July. They spawn in February or March. Accordingto the observations of' the Reverend Revett Sheppard, a migration ofpikes " takes place yearly in spring,, in the Cam, up which river they comein great shoals, doubtless from the fens in the neighbourhood of Ely, wherethey are bred."—Linn. Trans, xiv. 587- There is abundant evidence that thepike is indigenous, though considered by some as having been introduced intoEngland in the reign of Henry VIII. in 1537-Gen. XXVII. BELONE. Gar.—Snout produced. Teethconfined to the intermaxillaries.belly carinated.Scales on each side of the56. B. vulgaris.Common Gar.— Body green above, whitebelow.Acus vulgaris,Will. Ich. 231—Esox Belone, Linn. Syst. i. 517— Gartab. 64—On va-Pike, Perm. Brit. Zool. iii. 324. Don. Brit. Fishes,rious partsof the coast.Length from 12 to 18 inches. Body nearly cylindrical. The bellyflat. Jawsslender, armed with fine teeth; the lower jaw longest. D. 17, P- 13, v. 7>near the shore.A. 19, C. 23 Leave the deep water in spring, to spawnBones become green by boiling.The fish to which Mr Couch refers as probablythe Esox Braziliensis of Linne, seems to be the young of this species.—Linn. Trans, vol. xiv. p. 85.Gen. XXVIII. SCOMBERESOX. Saury.—Teeth confinedto the intermaxillaries.Belly bicarinated.57. S. Saurus. Saury.— Jaws subulate, waved, subrecurved ;the lower jaw longest.Skipper, Will. Ich. 232. Say, Syn. Ich. 165. Borl. Corn. 271—Saury,Penn. Brit. Zool. iii. 325. Racked, Linn. Trans, vii. p. 60. Don.Brit. Fishes, tab. cxvi.—S, Gowdnook, Egyptian Herring.—On thecoast, not rare.Length from 12 to 18 inches. Body slender; back changeable green;belly silvery. Scales small. Tail greatlyforked. Finlets six above and six