222 MALACOPTERYGII. — ESOCID^. 
many enemies^ and lives longer than his greatest 
foe, man. His voracity is unbounded ; and like 
the most accomplished corporate officers, he is 
nearly omnivorous, his palate giving the pre- 
ference, however, to fish, fiesh, and fowl. Dys- 
pepsia never interferes with his digestion ; and he 
PIKE. 
possesses a quality that would have been valuable 
at La Trappe,— he can fast without inconvenience 
for a se’nnight. He can gorge himself then to 
beyond the gills, without the slightest derange- 
ment of the stomach. He is shark and ostrich 
combined. . . . His intemperate habits ren- 
der him an object of disgust and dread. He 
devours his own children; but, strange to say, 
likes better, (for eating,) the children of his neigh- 
