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Pike

This fish is found in most of the lakes of Europe, particularly in the north. Naturalists have disputed as to whether it is indigenous in England, but the opinion of the best authorities is that sufficient proof exists of its being a native. The size of the English pike is considerable. Instances have been known of their attaining the length of three feet, and the weight of forty pounds. In Lapland and Russia they have been found eight feet long. The usual colour of the pike is a pale olive grey, deepest on the back, and marked on the sides by several yellowish spots or patches; the abdomen is white, slightly spotted with black; the mouth is furnished with a prodigious number of teeth. The pike is so voracious that he is often called the fresh-water shark. He attacks and devours all smaller fish, and sometimes falls a victim to his own greed by his inability to swallow a fish that is half engulfed in his capacious throat. Pike may be plainly boiled or cut into pieces, marinaded, and fried. They may be eaten with any sauce. The roe of the pike is made into a caviare, and in some countries the fish is salted and dried. It was at one time a very popular article of food, and is still considered a good fish for the table when properly prepared.