§6.35Λύκος δὲ κύει μὲν καὶ τίκτει καθάπερ κύων τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν γιγνομένων, καὶ τυφλὰ τίκτει ὥσπερ κύων· ὀχεύει δὲ καὶ ὀχεύεται κατὰ μίαν ὥραν, καὶ τίκτει ἀρχομένου τοῦ θέρους.
The wolf is pregnant and brings forth like the dog, both in the duration and in the number of offspring, and brings forth blind young like the dog; and it couples and is coupled at only one season, and brings forth at the beginning of summer.
Λέγεται δέ τις περὶ τοῦ τόκου λόγος πρὸς μῦθον συνάπτων· φασὶ γὰρ πάντας τοὺς λύκους ἐν δώδεχ’ ἡμέραις τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τίκτειν.
And a certain story is told about its bringing forth, connecting with a myth; for they say that all wolves bring forth within twelve days of the year.
Τούτου δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐν μύθῳ λέγουσιν, ὅτι ἐν τοσαύταις ἡμέραις τὴν Λητὼ παρεκόμισαν ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων εἰς Δῆλον, λύκαιναν φαινομένην διὰ τὸν τῆς Ἥρας φόβον.
And they tell the cause of this in a myth, because in so many days they escorted Leto from the Hyperboreans to Delos, she appearing as a she-wolf because of her fear of Hera.
Εἰ δ’ ἐστὶν ὁ χρόνος οὗτος τῆς κυήσεως ἢ μή ἐστιν, οὐδέν πω συνῶπται μέχρι γε τοῦ νῦν, ἀλλ’ ἢ ὅτι λέγεται μόνον.
But whether this is the duration of pregnancy or not, nothing has yet been observed up to the present, except only that it is said.
Οὐκ ἀληθὲς δὲ φαίνεται ὂν οὐδὲ τὸ λεγόμενον ὡς ἅπαξ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τίκτουσιν οἱ λύκοι.
And what is said, that wolves bring forth only once in their lifetime, does not seem to be true.
Οἱ δ’ αἴλουροι καὶ οἱ ἰχνεύμονες τίκτουσιν ὅσαπερ καὶ οἱ κύνες, καὶ τρέφονται τοῖς αὐτοῖς· ζῶσι δὲ περὶ ἔτη ἕξ.
And cats and ichneumons bring forth as many as dogs, and are nourished on the same things; and they live about six years.
Καὶ ὁ πανθὴρ δὲ τίκτει τυφλὰ ὥσπερ λύκος, τίκτει δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τέτταρα τὸν ἀριθμόν.
And the panther also brings forth blind young like the wolf, and brings forth at most four in number.
Καὶ οἱ θῶες δ’ ὁμοίως κυΐσκονται τοῖς κυσί, καὶ τίκτουσι τυφλά· τίκτουσι δὲ καὶ δύο καὶ τρία καὶ τέτταρα τὸν ἀριθμόν.
And jackals also are pregnant in the same manner as dogs, and bring forth blind young; and they bring forth two, three, and four in number.
Ἔστι δὲ τὴν ἰδέαν ἐπ’ οὐρὰν μὲν μακρός, τὸ δ’ ὕψος βραχύτερος.
In appearance it is long toward the tail, but shorter in height.
Ὁμοίως δὲ ταχυτῆτι διαφέρει, καίπερ τῶν σκελῶν ὄντων βραχέων, διὰ τὸ ὑγρὸς εἶναι, καὶ πηδᾷ πόρρω.
Likewise it excels in speed, although its legs are short, because of its being flexible, and it leaps far.
§6.36Εἰσὶ δ’ ἐν Συρίᾳ οἱ καλούμενοι ἡμίονοι, ἕτερον γένος τῶν ἐκ συνδυασμοῦ γινομένων ἵππου καὶ ὄνου, ὅμοιοι δὲ τὴν ὄψιν, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄγριοι ὄνοι πρὸς τοὺς ἡμέρους, ἀπό τινος ὁμοιότητος λεχθέντες.
And there are in Syria those called hemionoi, a different race from those produced from the coupling of a horse and an ass, but similar in appearance, just as wild asses are to the tame ones, being so called from a certain similarity.
Εἰσὶ δ’ ὥσπερ οἱ ὄνοι οἱ ἄγριοι καὶ αἱ ἡμίονοι, τὴν ταχυτῆτα διαφέροντες.
And these hemionoi, just like wild asses, excel in speed.
Αὗται αἱ ἡμίονοι γεννῶσιν ἐξ ἀλλήλων.
These hemionoi generate from one another.
Σημεῖον δέ· ἦλθον γάρ τινες εἰς Φρυγίαν ἐπὶ Φαρνάκου τοῦ Φαρναβάζου πατρός, καὶ διαμένουσιν ἔτι.
And here is the proof: for some came to Phrygia in the time of Pharnaces, the father of Pharnabazus, and they still survive.
Εἰσὶ δὲ νῦν μὲν τρεῖς, τὸ παλαιὸν δ’ ἐννέα ἧσαν, ὡς φασίν.
And now they are three, but in ancient times they were nine, as they say.
§6.37Ἡ δὲ τῶν μυῶν γένεσις θαυμασιωτάτη παρὰ τἆλλα ζῷά ἐστι τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῷ τάχει.
And the generation of mice is most marvelous compared to other animals in its multitude and speed.
Ἤδη γάρ ποτε ἐναποληφθείσης τῆς θηλείας κυούσης ἐν ἀγγείῳ κέγχρου, μετ’ ὀλίγον ἀνοιχθέντος τοῦ ἀγγείου ἐφάνησαν ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι μύες τὸν ἀριθμόν.
For once, when a pregnant female was shut up in a vessel of millet, when the vessel was opened a little later, there appeared a hundred and twenty mice in number.
Ἀπορεῖται δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπιπολαζόντων γένεσις μυῶν ἐν ταῖς χώραις καὶ ἡ φθορά· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ εἴωθε πλῆθος γίνεσθαι ἀμύθητον τῶν ἀρουραίων, ὥστ’ ὀλίγον λείπεσθαι τοῦ σίτου παντός.
And the generation of mice that swarm on the surface in the countryside and their destruction are also a matter of wonder; for in many places an untold multitude of field-mice is accustomed to arise, so that little is left of all the corn.
Γίνεται δ’ οὕτω ταχεῖα ἡ φθορά, ὥστ’ ἔνιοι τῶν μὴ μεγάλας γεωργίας ἐργαζομένων, τῇ προτεραίᾳ ἰδόντες ὅτι θερίζειν ὥρα, τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἕωθεν ἄγοντες τοὺς θεριστὰς καταβεβρωμένα ἅπαντα καταλαμβάνουσιν.
And their destruction of crops happens so rapidly that some of those who do not cultivate large farms, having seen on the previous day that it is time to reap, when they bring the reapers at dawn on the next day, find everything completely eaten up.
Ὁ δ’ ἀφανισμὸς οὐ κατὰ λόγον ἀποβαίνει· ἐν ὀλίγαις γὰρ ἡμέραις ἀφανεῖς πάμπαν γίγνονται·
And their disappearance happens in an unreasonable way; for in a few days they become entirely invisible.
καίτοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις οὐ κρατοῦσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀποθυμιῶντες καὶ ἀνορύττοντες, ἔτι δὲ θηρεύοντες καὶ τὰς ὗς ἐμβάλλοντες· αὗται γὰρ ἀνορύττουσι τὰς μυωπίας.
Yet in the preceding times, men cannot overcome them by smoking them out and digging them up, and further by hunting them and letting in swine; for these dig up the mouse-holes.
Θηρεύουσι δὲ καὶ αἱ ἀλώπεκες αὐτούς, καὶ αἱ γαλαῖ αἱ ἄγριαι μάλιστα ἀναιροῦσιν, ὅταν ἐπιγένωνται· ἀλλ’ οὐ κρατοῦσι τῆς πολυγονίας καὶ τῆς ταχυγονίας, οὐδ’ ἄλλ’ οὐθὲν πλὴν οἱ ὄμβροι, ὅταν ἐπιγένωνται· τότε δ’ ἀφανίζονται ταχέως.
And foxes also hunt them, and wild weasels especially destroy them when they attack; but they cannot overcome their fecundity and rapid generation, nor can anything else except the rains when they come; and then they disappear rapidly.
Τῆς δὲ Περσικῆς ἔν τινι τόπῳ ἀνασχιζομένης τῆς θηλείας τῶν ἐμβρύων τὰ θήλεα κύοντα φαίνεται.
And in a certain place in Persia, when the female is cut open, the female embryos are found to be pregnant.
Φασὶ δὲ τινες καὶ ἰσχυρίζονται ὅτι ἂν ἅλα λείχωσιν, ἄνευ ὀχείας γίνεσθαι ἐγκύους.
And some say and maintain that if they lick salt, they become pregnant without coupling.
Οἱ δ’ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μύες σκληρὰν ἔχουσι τὴν τρίχα ὥσπερ οἱ χερσαῖοι ἐχῖνοι.
And the mice in Egypt have stiff hair like the land urchins.
Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτεροι οἳ βαδίζουσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς δυσὶ ποσίν· τὰ γὰρ πρόσθια μικρὰ ἔχουσι, τὰ δ’ ὀπίσθια μεγάλα· γίνονται δὲ πλήθει πολλοί.
And there are also others that walk on their two feet; for they have short front legs and large hind ones; and they exist in great numbers.
Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλα γένη μυῶν πολλά.
And there are also many other kinds of mice.