§4.5Οἱ δ’ ἐχῖνοι τὸ μὲν σαρκῶδες οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ’ ἴδιον αὐτῶν τοῦτ’ ἐστίν· ἐστέρηνται γὰρ πάντες, καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσι σάρκα ἐντὸς οὐδεμίαν· τὰ δὲ μέλανα πάντες.
But sea-urchins do not have the fleshy part, but this is peculiar to them; for they are all deprived of it, and have no flesh at all inside; but they all have the black parts.
Ἔστι δὲ γένη πλείω τῶν ἐχίνων, ἓν μὲν τὸ ἐσθιόμενον· τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶν ἐν ᾧ τὰ καλούμενα ᾠὰ μεγάλα ἐγγίνεται καὶ ἐδώδιμα, ὁμοίως ἐν μείζοσι καὶ ἐλάττοσιν· καὶ γὰρ εὐθὺς ἔτι μικροὶ ὄντες ἔχουσι ταῦτα.
And there are several kinds of sea-urchins, one being the edible one; and this is the one in which the so-called eggs arise large and edible, likewise in larger and smaller ones; for indeed even when they are still small they have these.
Ἄλλα δὲ δύο γένη τό τε τῶν σπατάγγων καὶ τὸ τῶν καλουμένων βρύσσων· γίνονται δ’ οὗτοι πελάγιοι καὶ σπάνιοι.
Two other kinds are that of the spatangi and that of the so-called bryssi; and these arise in the deep sea and are rare.
Ἔτι αἱ ἐχινομῆτραι καλούμεναι, μεγέθει πάντων μέγισται.
Furthermore, there are the so-called echinometrae, the largest of all in size.
Πρὸς δὲ τούτοῖς ἄλλο γένος μεγέθει μὲν μικρόν, ἀκάνθας δὲ μεγάλας ἔχει καὶ σκληράς, γίνεται δ’ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης ἐν πολλαῖς ὀργυιαῖς, ᾧ χρῶνται πρὸς τὰς στραγγουρίας τινές.
In addition to these, there is another kind, small in size, but having large and hard spines, and it comes from the sea at a depth of many fathoms, which some use against strangury.
Περὶ δὲ Τορώνην εἰσὶν ἐχῖνοι λευκοὶ θαλάττιοι καὶ τὰ ὄστρακα καὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας καὶ τὰ ᾠά, μείζους δὲ τῶν ἄλλων εἰς μῆκος· ἡ δ’ ἄκανθα οὐ μεγάλη οὐδὲ ἰσχυρὰ ἀλλὰ μαλακωτέρα, τὰ δε μέλανα τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος πλείω, καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἔξω πόρον συνάπτοντα πρὸς ἑαυτὰ δὲ ἀσύναπτα· τούτοις δ’ ὥσπερ διειλημμένος ἐστίν.
And around Torone there are white sea-urchins, white in their shells, spines, and eggs, and they are longer than the others; but their spine is not large nor strong but softer, and the black parts from the mouth are more numerous, connecting with the outer passage but not connected with each other; and by these the urchin is as if divided.
Κινοῦνται δὲ μάλιστα καὶ πλειστάκις οἱ ἐδώδιμοι αὐτῶν· καὶ σημεῖον δέ τι ἔχουσιν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀκάνθαις.
And the edible ones among them move the most and most frequently; and they also have a certain mark on their spines.
Ἔχουσι μὲν οὖν ἅπαντες ᾠά, ἀλλ’ ἔνιοι πάμπαν μικρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐδώδιμα.
Now indeed all of them have eggs, but some have them altogether small and not edible.
Συμβαίνει δὲ τὴν μὲν λεγομένην κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ στόμα τὸν ἐχῖνον κάτω ἔχειν, ᾗ δ’ ἀφίησι τὸ περίττωμα, ἄνω.
And it happens that the sea-urchin has its so-called head and mouth below, and where it discharges the residue, above.
Ταὐτὸν δὲ τοῦτο συμβέβηκε τοῖς τε στρομβώδεσι πᾶσι καὶ ταῖς λεπάσιν· ἡ γὰρ νομὴ ἐκ τῶν κάτωθεν, ὥστε τὸ μὲν στόμα πρὸς τῇ νομῇ, τὸ δὲ περίττωμα ἄνω πρὸς τοῖς πρανέσι τοῦ ὀστράκου.
And this same thing has happened to all the turbinated ones and the limpets; for their feeding is from below, so that the mouth is at the feeding-place, and the residue is above, towards the sloping parts of the shell.
Ἔχει δ’ ὁ ἐχῖνος ὀδόντας πέντε κοίλους ἔνδοθεν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ τούτων σῶμα σαρκῶδες ἀντὶ γλώττης.
And the sea-urchin has five teeth, hollow inside, and in the middle of these a fleshy body instead of a tongue.
Τούτου δ’ ἔχεται ὁ στόμαχος, εἶτα ἡ κοιλία εἰς πέντε μέρη διῃρημένη, πλήρης περιττώματος· συνέχουσι δὲ πάντες οἱ κόλποι αὐτῆς εἰς ἓν πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον τῆς περιττώσεως, ᾗ τετρύπηται τὸ ὄστρακον.
After this is the esophagus, then the stomach divided into five parts, full of residue; and all its cavities join together into one towards the outlet of the residue, where the shell is perforated.
Ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν κοιλίαν ἐν ἄλλῳ ὑμένι τὰ καλούμενα ᾠά ἐστιν, ἴσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντα ἐν πᾶσιν· πέντε γάρ ἐστι τὸ πλῆθος καὶ περιττά.
And under the stomach, in another membrane, are the so-called eggs, being equal in number in all; for they are five in quantity and odd.
Ἄνω δὲ τὰ μέλανα ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν ὀδόντων ἤρτηται, ἅ ἐστι πικρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐδώδιμα.
And above, the black parts are suspended from the beginning of the teeth, which are bitter and not edible.
Ἐν πολλοῖς δὲ τῶν ζῴων τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἢ τὸ ἀνάλογον· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς χελώναις καὶ ἐν φρύναις καὶ ἐν βατράχοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς στρομβώδεσι καὶ τοῖς μαλακίοις· ἀλλὰ τῷ χρώματι διαφέρει, καὶ ἄβρωτά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσι τὰ τοιαῦτα ἢ πάμπαν ἢ μᾶλλον.
And in many of the animals such a part or its analogue exists; for indeed in tortoises, and in toads, and in frogs, and in the turbinated ones, and in the molluscs; but it differs in color, and such things are inedible in all, either entirely or mostly.
Κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τελευτὴν συνεχὲς τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐχίνου ἐστί, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν οὐ συνεχὲς ἀλλ’ ὅμοιον λαμπτῆρι μὴ ἔχοντι τὸ κύκλῳ δέρμα.
Now, at the beginning and the end, the body of the sea-urchin is continuous, but on the surface it is not continuous, but like a lantern that does not have the skin around it.
Ταῖς δ’ ἀκάνθαις ὁ ἐχῖνος χρῆται ὡς ποσίν· ταύταις γὰρ ἀπερειδόμενος καὶ κινούμενος μεταβάλλει τὸν τόπον.
And the sea-urchin uses its spines as feet; for propping itself on these and moving, it changes its place.