§3.5#2διὸ καὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὰς κυήσεις εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ ἀνακάπτειν τὸ σπέρμα τοὺς θήλεις τῶν ἰχθύων, οὐ κατανενοηκότες ἔνια λέγουσιν οὕτως.
Therefore, those who say that the gestations of fishes are from the females swallowing the milt speak in this way because they have not understood certain facts.
ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν γὰρ καιρὸν οἵ τ᾽ ἄρρενες τὸν θορὸν καὶ αἱ θήειαι τὰ ᾠὰ ἔχουσι, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν οὖ ἐγγυτέρω ἡ θήλεια τοῦ τίκτειν, τότε πλείων καὶ ὑγρότερος ὁ θορὸς ἐν τῷ ἄρρενι ἐγγίνεται.
For at the same season the males have the milt and the females have the eggs, and the closer the female is to spawning, the more abundant and fluid is the milt generated in the male.
καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ αὔξησις κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦ θοροῦ ἐν τῷ ἄρρενι καὶ τοῦ ᾠοῦ ἐν τῇ θηλείᾳ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἄφεσις συμβαίνει· οὔτε γὰρ αἱ θήλειαι ἀθρόα ἐκτίκτουσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ μικρόν, οὔθ᾽ οἱ ἄρρενες ἀθρόον ἀφιᾶσι τὸν θορόν.
And just as the growth of the milt in the male and of the egg in the female occurs at the same time, so too does the emission happen; for neither do the females spawn all at once, but gradually, nor do the males emit their milt all at once.
καὶ ταῦτα πάντα συμβαίνει κατὰ λόγον.
And all these things happen reasonably.
ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῶν ὀρνέων γένος ἐν ἐνίοις ἴσχει μὲν ᾠὰ ἄνευ κυήσεως, ὀλίγα δὲ καὶ ὀλιγάκις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ὀχείας τὰ πολλά, τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ συμβαίνει καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἰχθύων, ἧττον δέ.
For just as the class of birds in some cases has eggs without copulation, though few and seldom, but the majority from copulation, this very same thing happens also in fishes, though to a lesser degree.
ἄγονα δὲ καὶ ἀμφοτέροις γίνεται τὰ αὐτόματα, ἑὰν μὴ ἐπιρράνη τὸ ἄρρεν, ἐν ὅσοις γένεσιν αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν ἐστίν.
And in both, the spontaneous eggs become barren, if the male does not sprinkle them, in those of their classes where there is also a male.
τοῖς μὲν οὖν ὄρνισι, διὰ τὸ τέλεια ἐξιέναι τὰ ᾠά, ἔτι ἐντὸς ὄντων ἀνάγκη τοῦτο συμβῆναι· τοῖς δ᾽ ἰχθύσι διὰ τὸ ἀτελῆ καὶ ἔξω λαμβάνειν τὴν αὔξησιν πᾶσιν, κἂν ἐξ ὀχείας γένηται τὸ ᾠόν, ὅμως τὰ ἔξω ἐπιρραινόμενα σώζεται, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀναλίσκεται ὁ θορὸς τοῖς ἄρρεσιν.
For birds, because the eggs come out perfect, must have this happen while they are still inside; but for fishes, because they all produce imperfect eggs and receive their growth externally, even if the egg is produced from copulation, nevertheless those sprinkled externally are preserved, and here the milt is consumed by the males.
διὸ καὶ συγκαταβαίνει ἐλαττούμενος ἅμα τοῖς ᾠοῖς τοῖς ἐν τοῖς θήλεσιν· ἀεὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἐκτικτομένοις ἐπιρραίνουσι παρακολουθοῦντες.
Therefore, it also decreases together with the eggs in the females; for they always sprinkle them as they are spawned, following after them.
ὥστε ἄρρενες μὲν καὶ θήλεις εἰσὶ καὶ ὀχεύονται πάντες, εἰ μὴ ἔν τινι γένει ἀδιόριστόν ἐστι τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν, καὶ ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ ἄρρενος γονῆς οὐ γίνεται τῶν τοιούτων οὐθέν, συμβάλλεται δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάτην αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ ταχὺν εἶναι τὸν συνδυασμὸν τῶν τοιούτων ἰχθύων, ὥστε πολλοὺς λανθάνειν καὶ τῶν ἁλιέων· οὐθεὶς γὰρ αὐτῶν οὐθὲν τηρεῖ τοιοῦτον τοῦ γνῶναι χάριν.
So there are males and females, and all copulate, unless in some class the female and male are undistinguished, and without the seed of the male nothing of such kinds is generated; but what contributes to their deception is that the union of such fishes is quick, so that it escapes the notice of even many fishermen; for none of them observes anything of this sort for the sake of knowing.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ὠμμένος ὁ συνδυασμός ἐστιν.
Yet, nevertheless, the union has been seen.
τὸν αὐτὸν γὰρ τρόπον οἵ τε δελφῖνες ὀχεύονται παραπίπτοντες καὶ οἷ ἰχθύες, ὅσοις ἐμποδίζει τὸ οὐραῖον.
For in the same way both dolphins copulate, falling alongside each other, and those fishes in which the tail-fin is an obstacle.
ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν δελφίνων χρονιωτέρα ἡ ἀπόλυσίς ἐστι, τῶν δὲ τοιούτων ἰχθύων ταχεῖα.
But for dolphins the release is longer, while for such fishes it is rapid.
διόπερ ταύτην οὐχ ὁρῶντες, τὰς δ᾽ ἀνακάψεις τοῦ θοροῦ καὶ τῶν ᾠῶν, καὶ οἱ ἁλιεῖς περὶ τῆς κυήσεως τῶν ἰχθύων τὸν εὐήθη λέγουσι λόγον καὶ τεθρυλημένον, ὅνπερ καὶ Ἡρόδοτος ὁ μυθολόγος, ὡς κυϊσκομένων τῶν ἰχθύων ἐκ τοῦ ἀνακάπτειν τὸν θορόν, οὐ συνορῶντες ὅτι τοῦτ᾽ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον.
Therefore, not seeing this, but seeing the swallowings of the milt and of the eggs, even the fishermen tell the foolish and celebrated story about the gestation of fishes, which Herodotus the mythologist also tells, that fishes become pregnant from swallowing the milt, not seeing that this is impossible.
ὁ γὰρ πόρος ὁ διὰ τοῦ στόματος εἰσιὼν εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν φέρει, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ εἰς τὰς ὑστέρας· καὶ τὸ μὲν εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν ἐλθὸν ἀνάγκη τροφὴν γίνεσθαι (καταπέττεται γάρ), αἱ δ᾽ ὑστέραι φαίνονται πλήρεις ᾠῶν, ἃ πόθεν εἰσῆλθεν.
For the passage entering through the mouth leads to the stomach, but not to the uterus; and what enters the stomach must become food (for it is digested), but the uterus is seen to be full of eggs; from where did they enter?