§8.18Εὐημεροῦσι δὲ τὰ ζῷα κατὰ τὰς ὥρας οὐ τὰς αὐτάς, οὐδ’ ἐν ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς ὁμοίως ἁπάσαις· ἔτι δ’ ὑγίειαι καὶ νόσοι κατὰ τὰς ὥρας τοῖς ἑτερογενέσιν ἕτεραι καὶ τὸ σύνολον οὐχ αἱ αὐταὶ πᾶσιν.
Animals do not thrive during the same seasons, nor similarly in all extremes of weather; furthermore, health and disease vary according to the seasons for animals of different kinds, and as a whole are not the same for all.
Τοῖς μὲν οὖν ὄρνισιν οἱ αὐχμοὶ συμφέρουσι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην ὑγίειαν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τόκους, καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ταῖς φάτταις, τοῖς δ’ ἰχθύσιν ἔξω τινῶν ὀλίγων αἱ ἐπομβρίαι.
Thus, for birds, dry weather is beneficial both for their general health and for breeding, and not least for wood-pigeons; whereas for fish, with a few exceptions, rainy weather is beneficial.
Ἀσύμφορα δὲ τοὐναντίον ἑκατέροις, τοῖς μὲν ὄρνισι τὰ ἔπομβρα ἔτη (οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅλως συμφέρει τὸ πολὺ πίνειν), τοῖς δ’ ἰχθύσιν οἱ αὐχμοί.
On the contrary, the opposite conditions are disadvantageous to each: for birds, rainy years (for indeed drinking much is not at all beneficial to them), and for fish, dry weather.
Τὰ μὲν οὖν γαμψώνυχα, καθάπερ εἴρηται πρότερον, ὡς ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἄποτα πάμπαν ἐστίν (ἀλλ’ Ἡσίοδος ἡγνόει τοῦτο· πεποίηκε γὰρ τὸν τῆς μαντείας πρόεδρον ἀετὸν ἐν τῇ διηγήσει τῇ περὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν τὴν Νίνου πίνοντα)· τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πίνει μέν, οὐ πολύποτα δ’ ἐστίν·
Now, those with curved talons, as was said before, to speak simply, do not drink at all (but Hesiod was ignorant of this; for he has represented the eagle, the presiding bird of prophecy, as drinking in his narrative about the siege of Nineveh); but the other birds do drink, though they are not heavy drinkers.
ὁμοίως δ’ οὐδ’ ἄλλ’ οὐθὲν τῶν πνεύμονα ἐχόντων σομφὸν καὶ ᾠοτόκων.
Similarly, neither does any other of the animals that have a spongy lung and are oviparous.
Τῶν δ’ ὀρνίθων ἐν ταῖς ἀρρωστίαις ἐπίδηλος ἡ πτέρωσις γίνεται· ταράττεται γάρ, καὶ οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει κατάστασιν ἥνπερ ὑγιαινόντων.
Among birds, in times of illness, their plumage becomes a conspicuous sign; for it is ruffled and does not keep the same condition as that of healthy ones.