§6.8Ἐπῳάζει δὲ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ὀρνέων, ὥσπερ εἴρηται περὶ τῶν περιστερῶν, διαδεχόμενα τὰ ἄρρενα τοῖς θήλεσι, τὰ δὲ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ὅσον ἀπολείπει τὸ θῆλυ τροφὴν αὑτῷ ποριζόμενον.
Most birds, as has been said of pigeons, incubate by the males taking turns with the females, or some for only as long a time as the female is away procuring food for herself.
Τῶν δὲ χηνῶν αἱ θήλειαι ἐπῳάζουσι μόναι, καὶ διαμένουσι διὰ παντὸς ἐφεδρεύουσαι, ὅτανπερ ἄρξωνται τοῦτο ποιεῖν.
Of geese, the females alone incubate, and remain constantly sitting on the eggs once they have begun to do this.
Πρὸς δὲ τόποις ἑλώδεσί τε καὶ πόαν ἔχουσι πάντων τῶν λιμναίων ὀρνίθων αἱ νεοττιαὶ γίνονται· διόπερ καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἔχοντες ἐπὶ τῶν ᾠῶν δύνανται τροφὴν αὑτοῖς πορίζεσθαι καὶ μὴ παντάπασιν ἄσιτοι εἶναι.
The nests of all marsh birds are made in wet and grassy places; wherefore they are able to procure food for themselves while remaining quietly on their eggs, and not to be altogether without food.
Ἐπῳάζουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν κορωνῶν αἱ θήλειαι μόναι, καὶ διατελοῦσιν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν οὖσαι διὰ παντός· τρέφουσι δ’ αὐτὰς οἱ ἄρρενες κομίζοντες τὴν τροφὴν αὐταῖς καὶ σιτίζοντες.
Of crows too, the females alone incubate, and continue to remain upon them throughout; and the males feed them, bringing food to them and nourishing them.
Τῶν δὲ φαβῶν ἡ μὲν θήλεια ἀπὸ δείλης ἀρξαμένη τήν τε νύχθ’ ὅλην ἐπῳάζει καὶ ἕως ἀκρατίσματος ὥρας, ὁ δ’ ἄρρην τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ χρόνου.
Of ring-doves, the female, beginning from late afternoon, incubates the whole night and until the hour of breakfast, and the male for the remaining time.
Οἱ δὲ πέρδικες δύο ποιοῦνται τῶν ᾠῶν σηκούς, καὶ ἐφ’ ᾧ μὲν ἡ θήλεια ἐπὶ δὲ θατέρῳ ὁ ἄρρην ἐπῳάζει, καὶ ἐκλέψας ἐκπέμπει ἑκάτερος ἑκάτερα· καὶ τοὺς νεοττοὺς ὅταν πρῶτον ἐξάγῃ, ὀχεύει αὐτούς.
Partridges make two nests for their eggs, and the female incubates on one, while the male on the other, and each having hatched his own, leads them out; and when he first leads the chicks out, he copulates with them.
§6.9Ὁ δὲ ταὼς ζῇ μὲν περὶ πέντε καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη, γεννᾷ δὲ τριέτης μάλιστα, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὴν ποικιλίαν τῶν πτερῶν ἀπολαμβάνει· ἐκλέπει δ’ ἐν τριάκονθ’ ἡμέραις ἢ μικρῷ πλείοσιν.
The peacock lives for about twenty-five years, and breeds at about three years of age, at which time he also acquires the variegated color of his feathers; and he hatches in thirty days or a little more.
Ἅπαξ δὲ τοῦ ἔτους μόνον τίκτει· τίκτει δ’ ᾠὰ δώδεκα ἢ μικρῷ ἐλάττω· τίκτει δὲ διαλείπων δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ οὐκ ἐφεξῆς· αἱ δὲ πρωτοτόκοι μάλιστα περὶ ὀκτὼ ᾠά.
He lays only once a year; and he lays twelve eggs or a little fewer; he lays leaving an interval of two or three days, and not continuously; and those laying for the first time about eight eggs.
Τίκτουσι δ’ οἱ ταῲ ὑπηνέμια.
Peacocks also lay wind-eggs.
Ὀχεύονται δὲ περὶ τὸ ἔαρ· γίνεται δὲ καὶ ὁ τόκος εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν ὀχείαν.
They copulate about the spring; and the laying also occurs immediately after copulation.
Πτερορρυεῖ δὲ ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις τῶν δένδρων καὶ ἄρχεται αὖθις ἀπολαμβάνειν τὴν πτέρωσιν ἅμα τῇ τούτων βλαστήσει.
He sheds his feathers at the same time as the first of the trees lose theirs, and begins to regain his plumage again at the same time as their budding.
Ἀλεκτορίδι δ’ ὑποτιθέασιν αὐτῶν τὰ ᾠὰ ἐπῳάζειν οἱ τρέφοντες διὰ τὸ τὸν ἄρρενα τῆς θηλείας τοῦτο δρώσης ἐπιπετόμενον συντρίβειν· διὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ τῶν ἀγρίων ἔνιοι ὀρνίθων ἀποδιδράσκοντες τοὺς ἄρρενας τίκτουσι καὶ ἐπῳάζουσιν.
Those who breed them place their eggs under a domestic hen to incubate, because the male, when the female is doing this, flies upon her and breaks them; and for this reason some of the wild birds also run away from the males and lay and incubate.
Ὑποτίθεται δὲ τοῖς ὄρνισι μάλιστα δύο ᾠά· τοσαῦτα γὰρ μόνα δύναται ἐπῳάζουσα ἐξάγειν.
No more than two eggs are placed under the hens; for only so many can she hatch and rear while incubating.
Ἐπιμελοῦνται δ’ ὅπως μὴ καταβαίνουσα διαλίπῃ τὸν ἐπῳασμόν, παρατιθέντες τροφήν.
And they take care that she does not leave off her incubation by coming down, placing food beside her.
Οἱ δ’ ὄρνιθες περὶ τὴν ὀχείαν τοὺς ὄρχεις μείζους ἴσχουσιν ἐπιδήλως, οἱ μὲν μᾶλλον ὀχευτικοὶ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπιδήλως, οἷον ἀλεκτρυόνες καὶ πέρδικες, οἱ δὲ μὴ συνεχῶς ἧττον.
And birds have their testes visibly larger around the season of copulation, those that are more prone to copulate and more visibly so, as cocks and partridges, but those that do not continuously, less so.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς τῶν ὀρνίθων κυήσεως καὶ γενέσεως τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον,
Concerning the gestation and generation of birds, then, it is in this manner.