§6.15Οἱ μὲν οὖν πλεῖστοι, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, τῶν ἰχθύων γίνονται ἐξ ᾠῶν.
Most fishes, then, as has been said, are generated from eggs.
Οὐ μὴν ἀλλ’ ἔνιοι καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἄμμου γίνονται, καὶ τῶν τοιούτων γενῶν ἃ γίνεται ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ καὶ ᾠῶν, ἐν τέλμασιν ἄλλοις τε, καὶ οἷον περὶ Κνίδον φασὶν εἶναί ποτε, ὃ ἐξηραίνετο μὲν ὑπὸ κύνα καὶ ἡ ἰλὺς ἅπασα ἐξῃρεῖτο, ὕδωρ δ’ ἤρχετο ἐγγίνεσθαι ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις γιγνομένοις.
Nevertheless, some are generated also from mud and from sand, even of those kinds which are generated from copulation and eggs, in various pools, and for instance in the one which they say once existed near Cnidus, which used to dry up under the Dog Star, and all the mud was removed, but water began to appear in it together with the first rains.
Ἐν τούτῳ ἰχθύδια ἐνεγίνετο ἀρχομένου τοῦ ὕδατος.
In this, little fishes used to appear as soon as the water began to come.
Ἦν δὲ κεστρέων τι γένος τοῦτο, ὃ οὐδὲ γίνεται ἐξ ὀχείας, μέγεθος ἡλίκα μαινίδια μικρά· ᾠὸν δὲ τούτων εἶχεν οὐδὲν οὐδὲ θορόν.
And this was a kind of mullet, which is not even generated from copulation, in size as large as small maenides; and none of them had either egg or milt.
Γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν ποταμοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, οὐ διαρρέουσιν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν, ἰχθύδια μικρά, ἡλίκοι ἑψητοί, ἕτερα τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τούτοις.
There are also generated in rivers in Asia, which do not flow through into the sea, small fishes, as large as hepseti, other ones in the same manner as these.
Ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ ὅλως φασὶ τοὺς κεστρεῖς φύεσθαι πάντας, οὐκ ὀρθῶς λέγοντες· ἔχουσαι γὰρ φαίνονται καὶ ᾠὰ αἱ θήλειαι αὐτῶν καὶ θορὸν οἱ ἄρρενες.
And some say that all mullets grow in this way without exception, but they speak incorrectly; for their females are observed to have eggs, and the males milt.
Ἀλλὰ γένος τί ἐστιν αὐτῶν τοιοῦτον, ὃ φύεται ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος καὶ τῆς ἄμμου.
But there is some kind of them of this nature, which grows from the mud and the sand.
Ὅτι μὲν οὖν γίνεται αὐτόματα ἔνια οὔτ’ ἐκ ζῴων οὔτ’ ἐξ ὀχείας, φανερὸν ἐκ τούτων.
That some, then, are generated spontaneously, neither from animals nor from copulation, is clear from these facts.
Ὅσα δὲ μήτ’ ᾠοτοκεῖ μήτε ζῳοτοκεῖ, πάντα γίνεται τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος τὰ δ’ ἐκ τῆς ἄμμου καὶ τῆς ἐπιπολαζούσης σήψεως, οἷον καὶ τῆς ἀφύης ὁ καλούμενος ἀφρὸς γίνεται ἐκ τῆς ἀμμώδους γῆς· καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀφύη ἀναυξὴς καὶ ἄγονος, καὶ ὅταν πλείων γένηται χρόνος, ἀπόλλυται, ἄλλη δὲ πάλιν ἐπιγίνεται, διὸ ἔξω χρόνου τινὸς ὀλίγου πᾶσαν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὴν ἄλλην γίνεται ὥραν· διαμένει γὰρ ἀρξαμένη ἀπὸ ἀρκτούρου μετοπωρινοῦ μέχρι τοῦ ἔαρος.
And as many as neither lay eggs nor bring forth living young, all are generated, some from mud, and others from sand and from superficial putrefaction, just as also the so-called foam of the aphye is generated from sandy earth; and this aphye is non-growing and infertile, and when some time has passed, it perishes, and another appears again, wherefore, except for some short time, it is generated, so to speak, during all the rest of the season; for it lasts starting from the autumn rising of Arcturus until spring.
Σημεῖον δ’ ὅτι ἐνίοτ’ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέρχεται· ἁλιευομένων γάρ, ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ ψῦχος, οὐχ ἁλίσκεται, ἐὰν δ’ ᾖ εὐδία, ἁλίσκεται, ὡς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνιοῦσα πρὸς τὴν ἀλέαν.
And it is a proof that it sometimes comes up out of the earth: for when they are fished, if there is cold, it is not caught, but if there is fine weather, it is caught, as if coming up out of the earth towards the warmth.
Καὶ ἑλκόντων καὶ ἀναξυομένης τῆς γῆς πλεονάκις πλείων γίνεται καὶ βελτίων.
And when the nets are dragged and the earth is scraped up repeatedly, it becomes more abundant and better.
Αἱ δ’ ἄλλαι ἀφύαι χείρους διὰ τὸ ταχὺ λαμβάνειν αὔξησιν.
But the other aphyai are inferior because they grow rapidly.
Γίνονται δ’ ἐν τοῖς ἐπισκίοις καὶ ἑλώδεσι τόποις, ὅταν εὐημερίας γενομένης ἀναθερμαίνηται ἡ γῆ, οἷον περὶ Ἀθήνας ἐν Σαλαμῖνι καὶ πρὸς τῷ Θεμιστοκλείῳ καὶ ἐν Μαραθῶνι· ἐν γὰρ τούτοις τοῖς τόποις γίνεται ὁ ἀφρός.
And they are generated in shady and marshy places, when the earth is warmed up when fine weather comes, as for instance near Athens, in Salamis and near the Themistocleum and in Marathon; for in these places the foam is generated.
Φαίνεται δ’ ἐν μὲν τόποις τοιούτοις καὶ εὐημερίαις τοιαύταις, γίνεται δ’ ἐνιαχοῦ καὶ ὁπόταν ὕδωρ πολὺ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γένηται, ἐν τῷ ἀφρῷ τῷ γιγνομένῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀμβρίου ὕδατος, διὸ καὶ καλεῖται ἀφρός· καὶ ἐπιφέρεται ἐνίοτε ἐπιπολῆς τῆς θαλάττης, ὅταν εὐημερία ᾖ, ἐν ᾧ συστρέφεται, οἷον ἐν τῇ κόπρῳ τὰ σκωλήκια, οὕτως ἐν τούτῳ ὁ ἀφρός, ὅπου ἂν συστῇ ἐπιπολῆς· διὸ πολλαχοῦ προσφέρεται ἐκ τοῦ πελάγους ἡ ἀφύη αὕτη.
And it appears in such places and during such fine weather, but it is also generated in some places when much water comes from the sky, in the foam which is generated by the rain-water, wherefore it is also called foam; and it is sometimes carried on the surface of the sea when there is fine weather, in which it aggregates, just as worms do in dung, so in this foam, wherever it aggregates on the surface; wherefore in many places this aphye is brought in from the open sea.
Καὶ εὐθηνεῖ δὲ καὶ ἁλίσκεται πλείστη, ὁπόταν ἔνυγρον καὶ εὐδιεινὸν γένηται τὸ ἔτος.
And it thrives and is caught in the greatest quantity when the year becomes wet and mild.
Ἡ δ’ ἄλλη ἀφύη γόνος ἰχθύων ἐστίν, ἡ μὲν καλουμένη κωβῖτις κωβιῶν τῶν μικρῶν καὶ φαύλων, οἳ καταδύνουσιν εἰς τὴν γῆν· ἐκ δὲ τῆς φαληρικῆς γίγνονται μεμβράδες, ἐκ δὲ τούτων τριχίδες, ἐκ δὲ τῶν τριχίδων τριχίαι, ἐκ δὲ μιᾶς ἀφύης, οἷον τῆς ἐν τῷ Ἀθηναίων λιμένι, οἱ ἐγκρασίχολοι καλούμενοι.
But the other aphye is the offspring of fishes: the one called cobitis is the offspring of the small and common gobies which dive into the earth; and from the Phaleric one are generated membrades, and from these trichides, and from the trichides trichiai; and from one kind of aphye, such as the one in the Athenians' harbor, the so-called encrasicholi are generated.
Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλη ἀφύη, ἣ γόνος ἐστὶ μαινίδων καὶ κεστρέων.
And there is also another aphye, which is the offspring of maenides and mullets.
Ὁ δ’ ἀφρὸς ὁ ἄγονος ὑγρός ἐστι καὶ διαμένει ὀλίγον χρόνον, καθάπερ εἴρηται πρότερον· τέλος γὰρ λείπεται κεφαλὴ καὶ ὀφθαλμοί.
The infertile foam is watery and lasts for a short time, just as has been said before; for in the end only the head and the eyes are left.
Πλὴν νῦν εὕρηται τοῖς ἁλιεῦσι πρὸς τὸ διακομίζειν· ἁλιζομένη γὰρ πλείω μένει χρόνον.
Except that now a method has been found by the fishermen for transporting it; for when it is salted, it lasts for a longer time.