§6.17#2ἀλλὰ σπάνιοί εἰσι διὰ τὸ ἀπόλλυσθαι ῥᾳδίως· τίκτει γὰρ ἀθρόα καὶ πρὸς τῇ γῇ.
But they are rare because they are easily destroyed; for they spawn all at once and near the land.
Ὅλως δ’ ὀλιγογονώτερα μέν ἐστι τὰ σελάχη διὰ τὸ ζῳοτοκεῖν, σώζεται δὲ μάλιστα ταῦτα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος.
In general, the selachians are less prolific because they are viviparous, but they are preserved most of all because of their size.
Ὀψίγονον δ’ ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ καλουμένη βελόνη, καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ αὐτῶν πρὸ τοῦ τίκτειν διαρρήγνυνται ὑπὸ τῶν ᾠῶν· ἴσχει δ’ οὐχ οὕτω πολλὰ ὡς μεγάλα.
The so-called belone also spawns late, and many of them burst before spawning because of the eggs; for it does not have so many as large ones.
Καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ φαλάγγια δέ, περικέχυνται καὶ περὶ τὴν βελόνην· ἐκτίκτει γὰρ πρὸς αὑτῇ, κἄν τις θίγῃ, φεύγουσιν.
And just like spiders, they are swarmed around the belone as well; for she spawns close to herself, and if anyone touches them, they flee.
Ἡ δ’ ἀθερίνη τίκτει τρίβουσα τὴν κοιλίαν πρὸς τὴν ἄμμον.
The atherine spawns by rubbing its belly against the sand.
Διαρρήγνυνται δὲ καὶ οἱ θύννοι ὑπὸ τῆς πιμελῆς, ζῶσι δ’ ἔτη δύο.
The tunnies also burst because of their fat, but they live for two years.
Σημεῖον δὲ τούτου ποιοῦνται οἱ ἁλιεῖς· ἐκλιπουσῶν γάρ ποτε τῶν θυννίδων ἐνιαυτόν, τῷ ἐχομένῳ ἔτει καὶ οἱ θύννοι ἐξέλιπον.
Fishermen take this as a sign; for when the female tunnies once disappeared for a year, in the following year the male tunnies also disappeared.
Δοκοῦσι δ’ ἐνιαυτῷ εἶναι πρεσβύτεροι τῶν πηλαμύδων.
And they seem to be a year older than the pelamyds.
Ὀχεύονται δ’ οἱ θύννοι καὶ οἱ σκόμβροι περὶ τὸν Ἐλαφηβολιῶνα φθίνοντα, τίκτουσι δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἑκατομβαιῶνα ἀρχόμενον· τίκτουσι δὲ οἷον ἐν θυλάκῳ τὰ ᾠά.
The tunnies and the mackerels copulate about the end of Elaphebolion, and they spawn about the beginning of Hekatombaion; and they spawn their eggs as it were in a sack.
Ἡ δ’ αὔξησίς ἐστι τῶν θυννίδων ταχεῖα· ὅταν γὰρ τέκωσιν οἱ ἰχθύες ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ, γίγνονται ἐκ τοῦ ᾠοῦ ἃς καλοῦσιν οἱ μὲν σκορδύλας, Βυζάντιοι δ’ αὐξίδας διὰ τὸ ἐν ὀλίγαις αὐξάνεσθαι ἡμέραις, καὶ ἐξέρχονται μὲν τοῦ φθινοπώρου ἅμα ταῖς θυννίσιν, εἰσπλέουσι δὲ τοῦ ἔαρος ἤδη οὖσαι πηλαμύδες.
The growth of the female tunnies is rapid; for when the fish spawn in the Pontus, there are produced from the egg those which some call skordylae, but the Byzantines auxides because they grow in a few days, and they go out in autumn together with the female tunnies, and sail in during the spring, being already pelamyds.
Σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἰχθύες ταχεῖαν λαμβάνουσι τὴν αὔξησιν, πάντες δ’ ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ θᾶττον· παρ’ ἡμέραν γὰρ καὶ αἱ ἄμιαι πολὺ ἐπιδήλως αὔξονται.
And almost all other fish also grow rapidly, but all of them more quickly in the Pontus; for day by day even the amiae grow very visibly.
Ὅλως δὲ δεῖ νομίζειν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἰχθύσι μὴ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς τόποις μήτε τῆς ὀχείας καὶ τῆς κυήσεως εἶναι τὴν αὐτὴν ὥραν μήτε τοῦ τόκου καὶ τῆς εὐημερίας, ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ καλούμενοι κορακῖνοι ἐνιαχοῦ τίκτουσι περὶ τὸν πυραμητόν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ γιγνομένου ἐστόχασται τὰ εἰρημένα.
In general, one must believe that for the same fish, in different places, the season is not the same either for copulation and gestation, or for spawning and well-being, since even the so-called coracini in some places spawn about harvest-time; but what has been said aims at what happens for the most part.
Ἴσχουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ γόγγροι κυήματα· ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς τόποις ὁμοίως τοῦτο ἐπίδηλον, οὐδὲ τὸ κύημα σφόδρα φανερὸν διὰ τὴν πιμελήν· ἴσχει γὰρ μακρόν, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ὄφεις.
The congers also have embryos; but this is not equally apparent in all places, nor is the embryo very visible because of the fat; for it has a long embryo, just like snakes.
Ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ τιθέμενον διάδηλον ποιεῖ· ἡ μὲν γὰρ πιμελὴ θυμιᾶται καὶ τήκεται, τὰ δὲ πηδᾷ καὶ ψοφεῖ ἐκθλιβόμενα.
But when placed on the fire, it makes it clear; for the fat is vaporized and melts, but the eggs leap and make a noise as they are squeezed out.
Ἔτι δ’ ἄν τις ψηλαφᾷ καὶ τρίβῃ τοῖς δακτύλοις, τὸ μὲν στέαρ λεῖον φαίνεται, τὸ δ’ ᾠὸν τραχύ.
Furthermore, if one feels and rubs with the fingers, the fat feels smooth, but the egg rough.
Ἔνιοι μὲν οὖν γόγγροι στέαρ μὲν ἔχουσιν ᾠὸν δ’ οὐδέν, οἱ δὲ τοὐναντίον στέαρ μὲν οὐθέν, ᾠὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον οἷον εἴρηται νῦν.
Some congers, then, have fat but no egg, while others, on the contrary, have no fat but an egg such as has now been described.