§5.9Ἡ δ’ αἴθυια καὶ οἱ λάροι τίκτουσι μὲν ἐν ταῖς περὶ θάλατταν πέτραις, τὸ μὲν πλῆθος δύο ἢ τρία· ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν λάρος τοῦ θέρους, ἡ δ’ αἴθυια ἀρχομένου τοῦ ἔαρος εὐθὺς ἐκ τροπῶν, καὶ ἐπικαθεύδει ὥσπερ αἱ ἄλλαι ὄρνιθες.
The shag and gulls lay their eggs on the rocks near the sea, in number two or three; but the gull lays in summer, while the shag lays at the very beginning of spring, immediately after the winter solstice, and sits on them like other birds.
Οὐδέτερον δὲ φωλεύει τούτων τῶν ὀρνέων.
Neither of these birds hibernates.
Πάντων δὲ σπανιώτατον ἰδεῖν ἁλκυόνα ἐστίν· σχεδὸν γὰρ περὶ Πλειάδος δύσιν καὶ τροπὰς ὁρᾶται μόνον, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑφόρμοις πρῶτον ὅσον περιιπταμένη περὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἀφανίζεται εὐθύς, διὸ καὶ Στησίχορος τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐμνήσθη περὶ αὐτῆς.
Of all birds, the halcyon is the rarest to see; for it is seen almost only about the setting of the Pleiades and the winter solstice, and in harbors it first flies around the ship for just a moment and vanishes immediately, which is why Stesichorus also made mention of it in this manner.
Τίκτει δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀηδὼν τοῦ θέρους ἀρχομένου, τίκτει δὲ πέντε καὶ ἓξ ᾠά· φωλεύει δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μετοπώρου μέχρι τοῦ ἔαρος.
The nightingale also lays at the beginning of summer, and lays five or six eggs; and it hibernates from autumn until spring.
Τὰ δὲ ἔντομα καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὀχεύεται καὶ γίνεται, ὅταν εὐημερίαι γένωνται καὶ νότια, ὅσα μὴ φωλεύει αὐτῶν, οἷον μυῖαι καὶ μύρμηκες.
As for insects, those of them that do not hibernate, such as flies and ants, copulate and are produced even in winter, whenever there are fine days and south winds.
Τίκτει δ’ ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἀγρίων, ὅσα μὴ ἐπικυΐσκεται ὥσπερ δασύπους.
Most wild animals produce young once a year, except those that are subject to superfetation, such as the hare.
Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων οἱ πλεῖστοι ἅπαξ, οἷον οἱ χυτοί (καλοῦνται δὲ χυτοὶ οἱ τῷ δικτύῳ περιεχόμενοι), θύννος, πηλαμύς, κεστρεύς, χαλκίδες, κοχλίαι, χρόμις, ψῆττα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, πλὴν ὁ λάβραξ· οὗτος δὲ δὶς τούτων μόνος, γίνεται δ’ ὁ τόκος αὐτῷ ὁ ὕστερος ἀσθενέστερος.
Likewise, most fishes spawn only once, such as the "chyti" (and those enclosed by a net are called chyti), the tunny, the pelamys, the mullet, chalcides, cochliae, the chromis, the turbot, and the like, except the bass; this is the only one among them that spawns twice, and its later spawning is weaker.
Καὶ ὁ τριχίας δὲ καὶ τὰ πετραῖα δίς, ἡ δὲ τρίγλη μόνη τρίς.
Also the trichias and rock-fishes spawn twice, while the red mullet alone spawns thrice.
Τεκμαίρονται δ’ ἐκ τοῦ γόνου· τρὶς γὰρ φαίνεται ὁ γόνος περί τινας τόπους.
They infer this from the fry; for the fry appears three times around certain places.
Ὁ δὲ σκορπίος τίκτει δίς.
The scorpion-fish spawns twice.
Τίκτει δὲ καὶ ὁ σάργος δίς, ἔαρος καὶ μετοπώρου· ἡ δὲ σάλπη μετοπώρου ἅπαξ.
The sargus also spawns twice, in spring and autumn; but the salpa spawns only once, in autumn.
Ἡ δὲ θυννὶς ἅπαξ τίκτει, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τὰ μὲν πρώϊα τὰ δ’ ὄψια προΐεσθαι δὶς δοκεῖ τίκτειν· ἔστι δ’ ὁ μὲν πρῶτος τόκος περὶ τὸν Ποσειδεῶνα πρὸ τροπῶν, ὁ δ’ ὕστερος τοῦ ἔαρος.
The female tunny spawns once, but because she releases some eggs early and others late, she seems to spawn twice; the first spawning is around the month of Poseideon before the solstice, and the later one is in spring.
Διαφέρει δ’ ὁ θύννος ὁ ἄρρην τοῦ θήλεος, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἔχει ὁ δ’ οὐκ ἔχει ὑπὸ τῇ γαστρὶ πτερύγιον, ὃ καλοῦσιν ἀφαρέα.
The male tunny differs from the female, because the female has a fin under the belly which they call the aphareus, while the male does not have it.
§5.10Τῶν δὲ σελαχῶν ἡ ῥίνη μόνη τίκτει δίς· τίκτει γὰρ καὶ ἀρχομένου τοῦ φθινοπώρου καὶ περὶ Πλειάδος δύσιν, εὐημερεῖ δ’ ἐν τῷ φθινοπώρῳ μᾶλλον· ὁ δ’ εἷς τόκος γίνεται περὶ ἑπτὰ ἢ ὀκτώ.
Among the selachians, the angel-fish alone spawns twice; for it spawns both at the beginning of autumn and about the setting of the Pleiades, and it enjoys calmer weather more in autumn; and one brood consists of about seven or eight.
Δοκοῦσι δ’ ἔνιοι τῶν γαλεῶν, οἷον ὁ ἀστερίας, δὶς τοῦ μηνὸς τίκτειν· τοῦτο δὲ συμβαίνει, ὅτι οὐχ ἅμα πάντα λαμβάνει τελέωσιν τὰ ᾠά.
Some of the dogfishes, such as the starry dogfish, seem to spawn twice a month; and this happens because the eggs do not all reach maturity at the same time.
Ἔνια δὲ τίκτει πᾶσαν ὥραν, οἷον ἡ σμύραινα.
Some spawn at all seasons, such as the muraena.
Τίκτει δ’ αὕτη ᾠὰ πολλά, καὶ ἐκ μικροῦ ταχεῖαν τὴν αὔξησιν λαμβάνουσι τὰ γενόμενα, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ τοῦ ἱππούρου· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐξ ἐλαχίστου μέγιστα γίνεται τάχιστα, πλὴν ἡ μὲν σμύραινα πᾶσαν ὥραν τίκτει, ὁ δ’ ἵππουρος ἔαρος.
This fish lays many eggs, and the young from a small size attain rapid growth, just like those of the hippurus; for these also from the smallest size become very large most quickly, except that the muraena spawns at all seasons, while the hippurus spawns in spring.
Διαφέρει δ’ ὁ σμῦρος καὶ ἡ σμύραινα· ἡ μὲν γὰρ σμύραινα ποικίλον καὶ ἀσθενέστερον, ὁ δὲ σμῦρος ὁμόχρους καὶ ἰσχυρός, καὶ τὸ χρῶμα ἔχει ὅμοιον τῇ πίτυϊ, καὶ ὀδόντας ἔχει καὶ ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν.
The smyrus and the muraena differ; for the muraena is variegated and weaker, while the smyrus is of one color and strong, and has a color similar to the pine tree, and has teeth both inside and outside.
Φασὶ δ’ ὥσπερ καὶ τἆλλα, τὸν μὲν ἄρρενα τὴν δὲ θήλειαν εἶναι.
They say, just as in other cases, that the one is the male and the other the female.
Ἐξέρχεται δὲ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ξηράν, καὶ λαμβάνονται πολλάκις.
These come out onto dry land, and are often caught.
Συμβαίνει μὲν οὖν σχεδὸν πᾶσι ταχεῖαν γίνεσθαι τὴν αὔξησιν τοῖς ἰχθύσιν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ κορακίνῳ τῶν μικρῶν· τίκτει δὲ πρὸς τῇ γῇ καὶ βρυώδεσι καὶ δασέσιν.
Now, it happens that growth is rapid for almost all fishes, and not least for the coracinus among the small ones; it spawns near the land and in mossy and bushy places.
Ταχὺ δὲ καὶ ὁ ὀρφὼς ἐκ μικροῦ γίνεται μέγας.
The wrasse also quickly becomes very large from a small size.
Αἱ δὲ πηλαμύδες καὶ οἱ θύννοι τίκτουσιν ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ, ἄλλοθι δ’ οὔ· κεστρεῖς δὲ καὶ χρυσόφρυες καὶ λάβρακες μάλιστα οὗ ἂν ποταμοὶ ῥέωσιν· οἱ δ’ ὄρκυνες καὶ σκορπίδες καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ γένη ἐν τῷ πελάγει.
The pelamydes and the tunnies spawn in the Pontus, but nowhere else; mullets, giltheads, and basses mostly where rivers flow; and the orcynes, scorpidides, and many other kinds in the open sea.