§8.13#2Ἂν μὲν οὖν νότιος ὁ χειμὼν ᾖ, βραδύτερον ἐκπλέουσιν, ἂν δὲ βόρειος, θᾶττον διὰ τὸ τὸ πνεῦμα συνεπουρίζειν· καὶ ὁ γόνος δὲ τότε μικρὸς ἁλίσκεται περὶ Βυζάντιον ἅτ’ οὐ γενομένης πολλῆς ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ διατριβῆς.
If, then, the winter is southerly, they voyage out later, but if it is northerly, they do so more quickly, because the wind helps to carry them along; and the young offspring are then caught small around Byzantium, as they have not made a long stay in the Pontus.
Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι καὶ ἐκπλέοντες καὶ εἰσπλέοντες δῆλοί εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ τριχίαι μόνοι εἰσπλέοντες μὲν ἁλίσκονται, ἐκπλέοντες δ’ οὐχ ὁρῶνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν ληφθῇ τις περὶ Βυζάντιον, οἱ ἁλιεῖς τὰ δίκτυα περικαθαίρουσι διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰωθέναι ἐκπλεῖν.
Now, while the other fish are clearly seen both when voyaging out and when voyaging in, the trichiai alone are caught when voyaging in, but when voyaging out they are not seen; on the contrary, even when one is caught around Byzantium, the fishermen clean their nets thoroughly, because it is not customary for them to voyage out.
Αἴτιον δ’ ὅτι οὗτοι μόνοι ἀναπλέουσιν εἰς τὸν Ἴστρον, εἶθ’ ᾗ σχίζεται, καταπλέουσιν εἰς τὸν Ἀδρίαν.
The reason is that these alone sail up into the Istron, and then, where it divides, sail down into the Adriatic.
Σημεῖον δέ, ἐκεῖ γὰρ συμβαίνει τοὐναντίον· εἰσπλέοντες μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ἁλίσκονται εἰς τὸν Ἀδρίαν, ἐκπλέοντες δ’ ἁλίσκονται.
And as a proof of this, the opposite happens there; for when voyaging into the Adriatic they are not caught, but when voyaging out they are caught.
Εἰσπλέουσι δ’ οἱ θύννοι ἐπὶ δεξιὰ ἐχόμενοι τῆς γῆς, ἐκπλέουσι δ’ ἐπ’ ἀριστερά· τοῦτο δέ φασί τινες ποιεῖν ὅτι τῷ δεξιῷ ὀξύτερον ὁρῶσι, φύσει οὐκ ὀξὺ βλέποντες.
Tunnies, moreover, voyage in keeping the land on their right, and voyage out keeping it on their left; and some say they do this because they see more sharply with their right eye, having by nature poor sight.
Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἡμέραν οἱ ῥυάδες κομίζονται, τὴν δὲ νύκτα ἡσυχάζουσι καὶ νέμονται, ἐὰν μὴ σελήνη ᾖ· τότε δὲ κομίζονται καὶ οὐχ ἡσυχάζουσιν.
During the day, therefore, the migratory fish travel, but at night they remain quiet and feed, unless there is a moon; in that case they travel and do not remain quiet.
Λέγουσι δέ τινες τῶν περὶ τὴν θάλατταν ὡς ὅταν τροπαὶ χειμεριναὶ γίνωνται, οὐκέτι κινοῦνται ἀλλ’ ἡσυχάζουσιν, ὅπου ἂν τύχωσι καταληφθέντες, μέχρι ἰσημερίας.
Some of those concerned with the sea also say that when the winter solstices occur, they no longer move but remain quiet wherever they happen to be overtaken, until the equinox.
Οἱ μὲν οὖν κολίαι εἰσπλέοντες ἁλίσκονται, ἐξιόντες δ’ ἦττον· ἄριστοι δ’ εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ Προποντίδι πρὸ τοῦ τίκτειν.
Now, the colias-mackerel are caught when voyaging in, but less when going out; and they are best in the Propontis before spawning.
Οἱ δ’ ἄλλοι ῥυάδες ἐξιόντες ἐκ τοῦ Πόντου ἁλίσκονται μᾶλλον καὶ ἄριστοι τότε εἰσίν· ὅταν δὲ εἰσπλέωσιν, ἐγγύτατα τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ πιότατοι ἁλίσκονται, ὅσα δ’ ἀνωτέρω, ἀεὶ λεπτότεροι.
The other migratory fish are caught more when going out of the Pontus, and they are best then; but when they voyage in, they are caught fattest closest to the shore, and the further out they are, the thinner they always are.
Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ὅταν πνεῦμα ἀντικόψῃ νότιον ἐκπλέουσι τοῖς κολίαις καὶ τοῖς σκόμβροις, κάτω ἁλίσκονται μᾶλλον ἢ περὶ Βυζάντιον.
Often, too, when a southerly wind blows against the colias-mackerel and the scombri as they voyage out, they are caught further down rather than around Byzantium.
Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐκτοπισμοὺς τοῦτον ποιοῦνται τὸν τρόπον.
This, then, is the manner in which they make their migrations.
Τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ τοῦτο συμβαίνει πάθος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χερσαίων κατὰ τὴν φωλείαν· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ χειμῶνος ὁρμῶσι πρὸς τὴν φωλείαν, ἀπαλλάττονται δὲ κατὰ τὴν θερμοτέραν ὥραν.
And this same condition occurs also in land animals with regard to hibernation; for in winter they set out for their hiding-places, and depart from them in the warmer season.
Ποιοῦνται δὲ τὰ ζῷα καὶ τὰς φωλείας πρὸς τὴν βοήθειαν καὶ τὰς ὑπερβολὰς τῆς ὥρας ἑκατέρας.
Animals also make their hibernations for protection against the extremes of each season.
Φωλεῖ δὲ τῶν μὲν ὅλον τὸ γένος, ἐνίων δὲ τὰ μὲν τὰ δ’ οὔ.
In some cases, the whole class hibernates, while in others, some do and some do not.
Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὀστρακόδερμα πάντα φωλεῖ, οἷον τά τε ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ, πορφύραι καὶ κήρυκες καὶ πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον γένος· ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν ἀπολελυμένων ἐπιδηλότερός ἐστιν ἡ φωλεία (κρύπτουσι γὰρ αὑτά, οἷον οἱ κτένες, τὰ δ’ ἴσχει ἐπιπολῆς ἐπικάλυμμα, οἷον οἱ χερσαῖοι κοχλίαι), τῶν δ’ ἀναπολύτων ἄδηλος ἡ μεταβολή.
For all the testaceans hibernate, such as those in the sea, the purple-fish and ceryces and all that class; but in those that are free, the hibernation is more conspicuous (for they hide themselves, as for instance the scallops, or, like the land snails, have a lid on the surface), while in those that are not free, the change is inconspicuous.
Φωλοῦσι δ’ οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ὥραν, ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν κοχλίαι τοῦ χειμῶνος, αἱ δὲ πορφύραι καὶ οἱ κήρυκες ὑπὸ κύνα περὶ ἡμέρας τριάκοντα, καὶ οἱ κτένες περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον.
They do not hibernate at the same season, but the snails do so in winter, the purple-fish and ceryces under the Dog-star for about thirty days, and the scallops at the same time.
Τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα αὐτῶν φωλεῖ καὶ ἐν τοῖς σφόδρα ψύχεσι καὶ ἐν ταῖς σφόδρα ἀλέαις.
Most of them, however, hibernate both in extreme cold and in extreme heat.