§8.14Τὰ δ’ ἔντομα σχεδὸν ἅπαντα φωλεῖ, πλὴν εἴ τι ἐν ταῖς οἰκήσεσι συνανθρωπεύεται αὐτῶν, καὶ ὅσα φθείρεται καὶ μὴ διετίζει.
Almost all insects hibernate, except for any among them that live with humans in their dwellings, and those that perish and do not live through the year.
Ταῦτα δὲ φωλεῖ τοῦ χειμῶνος.
These hibernate in winter.
Φωλεῖ δὲ τὰ μὲν πλείους ἡμέρας, τὰ δὲ τὰς χειμεριωτάτας, οἷον αἱ μέλιτται· καὶ γὰρ αὗται φωλοῦσιν.
Some hibernate for more days, and others during the coldest days, as for instance the bees; for indeed these also hibernate.
Σημεῖον δ’ ὅτι οὐδὲν φαίνονται γευόμεναι τῆς παρακειμένης τροφῆς· κἄν τις αὐτῶν ἐξερπύσῃ, φαίνεται διαφανής, καὶ οὐθὲν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ἐνὸν δῆλον.
And the proof is that they are not seen tasting the food placed near them; and even if one of them crawls out, it appears transparent, and it is clear that there is nothing in its stomach.
Ἡσυχάζει δ’ ἀπὸ Πλειάδος δύσεως μέχρι τοῦ ἔαρος.
The bee remains quiet from the setting of the Pleiades until spring.
Ποιεῖται δὲ τὰ ζῷα τὰς φωλείας ἀποκρυπτόμενα ἐν ἀλεεινοῖς καὶ ἐν οἷς εἴωθε τόποις ἐπικοιτάζεσθαι.
Animals make their hibernations hiding themselves in warm places and in those where they are accustomed to sleep.
§8.15Φωλεῖ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐναίμων πολλά, οἷον τά τε φολιδωτά, ὄφεις τε καὶ σαῦραι καὶ ἀσκαλαβῶται καὶ κροκόδειλοι οἱ ποτάμιοι, τέτταρας μῆνας τοὺς χειμεριωτάτους, καὶ οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν οὐδέν.
Many of the blooded animals also hibernate, such as the scaly ones, both snakes and lizards and geckos and river crocodiles, during the four coldest months, and they eat nothing.
Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι ὄφεις ἐν τῇ γῇ φωλοῦσιν, αἱ δ’ ἔχιδναι ὑπὸ τὰς πέτρας ἀποκρύπτουσιν ἑαυτάς.
Now, while the other snakes hibernate in the earth, vipers hide themselves under rocks.
Φωλοῦσι δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων, ἐπιφανέστατα δ’ ἵππουρος καὶ κορακῖνος τοῦ χειμῶνος· οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι οὐχ ἁλίσκονται οὐδαμοῦ πλὴν κατά τινας χρόνους τακτοὺς καὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀεί, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα σχεδόν.
Many of the fish also hibernate, and most conspicuously the hippouros and the korakinos in winter; for these alone are caught nowhere except during certain fixed times and always the same, while almost all the rest are caught.
Φωλεῖ δὲ καὶ μύραινα καὶ ὀρφὸς καὶ γόγγρος.
The murena, the orphos, and the conger also hibernate.
Κατὰ συζυγίας δ’ οἱ πετραῖοι φωλοῦσιν οἱ ἄρρενες τοῖς θήλεσιν, ὥσπερ καὶ νεοττεύουσιν, οἷον κίχλαι, κόττυφοι, πέρκαι.
And the rock-fish hibernate in pairs, the males with the females, just as they also build nests, such as wrasses, blackbirds, and perches.
Φωλοῦσι δὲ καὶ οἱ θύννοι τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐν τοῖς βάθεσι, καὶ γίνονται πιότατοι μετὰ τὴν φωλείαν, καὶ ἄρχονται θηρεύεσθαι ἀπὸ Πλειάδος ἀνατολῆς μέχρι Ἀρκτούρου δύσεως τὸ ἔσχατον· τὸν δ’ ἄλλον χρόνον ἡσυχίαν ἔχουσι φωλοῦντες.
Tunnies also hibernate in winter in the deep waters, and they become fattest after hibernation, and begin to be fished from the rising of the Pleiades until the setting of Arcturus at the latest; for the rest of the time they remain quiet, hibernating.
Ἁλίσκονται δ’ ἔνιοι περὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς φωλείας καὶ τούτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τινὲς τῶν φωλούντων κινούμενοι, ἂν ἀλεεινὸς ᾖ ὁ τόπος καὶ ἐπιγίνωνται εὐδῖαι παράλογοι· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς θαλάμης προέρχονται μικρὸν ἐπὶ νομήν· καὶ ταῖς πανσελήνοις.
Some of these and of the other hibernating fish are caught when they move about the time of hibernation, if the place is warm and unexpected calm weather ensues; for they come out a little from their retreats for feeding; and also during full moons.
Εἰσὶ δ’ οἱ πολλοὶ φωλοῦντες ἥδιστοι.
Most of those that hibernate are most delicious.
Αἱ δὲ πριμάδες κρύπτουσιν ἑαυτὰς ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ· σημεῖον δὲ τό τε μὴ ἁλίσκεσθαι καὶ ἰλὺν ἐχούσας ἐπὶ τοῦ νώτου φαίνεσθαι πολλὴν καὶ τὰ πτερύγια ἐντεθλιμμένα.
The primades hide themselves in the mud; and the proof of this is both their not being caught and their appearing with much mud on their backs and their fins compressed.
Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐαρινὴν ὥραν κινοῦνται καὶ προέρχονται πρὸς τὴν γῆν ὀχευόμεναι καὶ τίκτουσαι, καὶ ἁλίσκονται κύουσαι· καὶ τότε δοκοῦσιν ὡραῖοι εἶναι, οἱ δὲ μετοπωρινοὶ καὶ χειμερινοὶ χείρους· ἅμα δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρρενες φαίνονται πλήρεις ὄντες θοροῦ.
In the spring season they move and come towards the land for mating and spawning, and they are caught when pregnant; and then they are considered to be in season, while those of autumn and winter are inferior; and at the same time the males also appear full of milt.
Ὅταν μὲν οὖν μικρὰ τὰ κυήματ’ ἔχωσι, δυσάλωτοί εἰσιν, ὅταν δὲ μείζω, πολλοὶ ἁλίσκονται διὰ τὸ οἰστρᾶν.
Now when they have small embryos they are difficult to catch, but when they are larger many are caught because of their excitement.
Φωλεῖ δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐν τῇ ἄμμῳ τὰ δ’ ἐν τῷ πηλῷ, ὑπερέχοντα τὸ στόμα μόνον.
Some hibernate in the sand and others in the mud, keeping only their mouths above.
Τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα φωλεῖ μόνον τοῦ χειμῶνος, τὰ δὲ μαλακόστρακα καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων οἱ πετραῖοι καὶ βάτοι καὶ τὰ σελαχώδη τὰς χειμεριωτάτας ἡμέρας· δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ μὴ ἁλίσκεσθαι ὅταν ᾖ ψύχη.
Most of them hibernate only in winter, but the malacostracans, and among fish the rock-fish, rays, and selachians hibernate during the coldest days; and this is shown by their not being caught when there is cold weather.
Ἔνιοι δὲ τῶν ἰχθύων φωλοῦσι καὶ τοῦ θέρους, οἷον γλαῦκος· οὗτος γὰρ τοῦ θέρους φωλεῖ περὶ ἑξήκονθ’ ἡμέρας.
Some of the fish also hibernate in summer, as for instance the glaukos; for this one hibernates in summer for about sixty days.
Φωλεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ ὄνος καὶ ὁ χρύσοφρυς· σημεῖον δὲ δοκεῖ εἶναι τοῦ τὸν ὄνον πλεῖστον φωλεῖν χρόνον τὸ διὰ πλείστου χρόνου ἁλίσκεσθαι.
The onos and the chrysophrys also hibernate; and the proof that the onos hibernates for the longest time seems to be its being caught after the longest interval.
Τοῦ δὲ καὶ θέρους τοὺς ἰχθῦς φωλεῖν δοκεῖ σημεῖον εἶναι τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄστροις γίνεσθαι τὰς ἁλώσεις, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ κυνί· τηνικαῦτα γὰρ ἀνατρέπεσθαι τὴν θάλατταν.
The proof that fish also hibernate in summer seems to be that catches occur at the rising of the stars, and especially at the Dog-star; for at that time the sea is turned upside down.
Ὅπερ ἐν τῷ Βοσπόρῳ γνωριμώτατόν ἐστιν· ἡ γὰρ ἰλὺς ἐπάνω γίνεται καὶ ἐπιφέρονται οἱ ἰχθύες.
This is most notorious in the Bosporus; for the mud comes to the top and the fish are carried along.
Φασὶ δὲ καὶ πολλάκις τριβομένου τοῦ βυθοῦ ἁλίσκεσθαι πλείους ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ βόλῳ τὸ δεύτερον ἢ τὸ πρῶτον.
They say also that when the bottom is swept, more are often caught in the same haul the second time than the first.
Καὶ ἐπειδὰν ὄμβροι γένωνται μεγάλοι, πολλὰ φαίνεται ζῷα τῶν πρότερον ἢ ὅλως οὐχ ἑωραμένων ἢ οὐ πολλάκις.
And when heavy rains occur, many animals appear which were previously either not seen at all or not often.
§8.16Φωλοῦσι δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων, καὶ οὐχ ὥς τινες οἴονται, εἰς ἀλεεινοὺς τόπους ἀπέρχονται πάντες· ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν πλησίον ὄντες τοιούτων τόπων, ἐν οἷς ἀεὶ διαμένουσι, καὶ ἰκτῖνοι καὶ χελιδόνες, ἀποχωροῦσιν ἐνταῦθα, οἱ δὲ πορρωτέρω ὄντες τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἐκτοπίζουσιν ἀλλὰ κρύπτουσιν ἑαυτούς.
Many of the birds also hibernate, and they do not all depart to warm places, as some people think; but those that are near such places, in which they always remain, like kites and swallows, withdraw there, while those that are further away from such places do not migrate but hide themselves.
Ἤδη γὰρ ὠμμέναι πολλαὶ χελιδόνες εἰσὶν ἐν ἀγγείοις ἐψιλωμέναι πάμπαν, καὶ ἰκτῖνοι ἐκ τοιούτων ἐκπετόμενοι χωρίων, ὅταν φαίνωνται τὸ πρῶτον.
For indeed many swallows have already been seen in vessels entirely featherless, and kites flying out from such places when they first appear.
Φωλοῦσι δ’ οὐθὲν διακεκριμένως καὶ τῶν γαμψωνύχων καὶ τῶν εὐθυωνύχων· φωλεῖ γὰρ καὶ πελαργὸς καὶ κόττυφος καὶ τρυγὼν καὶ κόρυδος, καὶ ἥ γε τρυγὼν ὁμολογουμένως μάλιστα πάντων· οὐθεὶς γὰρ ὡς εἰπεῖν λέγεται τρυγόνα ἰδεῖν οὐθαμοῦ χειμῶνος.
Both those with curved talons and those with straight talons hibernate without distinction; for the stork, the blackbird, the turtle-dove and the crested lark also hibernate, and the turtle-dove admittedly most of all; for almost no one, so to speak, is said to have seen a turtle-dove anywhere in winter.
Ἄρχεται δὲ τῆς φωλείας σφόδρα πίειρα οὖσα, καὶ πτερορρυεῖ μὲν ἐν τῇ φωλείᾳ, παχεῖα μέντοι διατελεῖ οὖσα.
It begins its hibernation being very fat, and it sheds its feathers in its hiding-place, but nevertheless remains thick.
Τῶν δὲ φασσῶν ἔνιαι μὲν φωλοῦσιν, ἔνιαι δ’ οὐ φωλοῦσιν, ἀπέρχονται δ’ ἅμα ταῖς χελιδόσιν.
Some of the wood-pigeons hibernate, and some do not, but depart together with the swallows.
Φωλεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ κίχλη καὶ ὁ ψάρος, καὶ τῶν γαμψωνύχων ἰκτῖνος ὀλίγας ἡμέρας καὶ ἡ γλαύξ.
The thrush and the starling also hibernate, and among those with curved talons, the kite for a few days, and the owl.