§8.20τοῖς δὲ ποταμίοις καὶ λιμναίοις λοιμῶδες μὲν οὐδὲ τούτοις οὐθὲν γίνεται, ἐνίοις δ’ αὐτῶν ἴδια νοσήματα ἐμπίπτει, οἷον γλάνις ὑπὸ κύνα μάλιστα διὰ τὸ μετέωρος νεῖν ἀστροβλής τε γίνεται καὶ ὑπὸ βροντῆς νεανικῆς καροῦται.
As for river and lake fish, no pestilential disease occurs among them either, but specific diseases fall upon some of them. For instance, the glanis, especially under the dog star, because of swimming near the surface, becomes sunstruck, and is stupefied by violent thunder.
Πάσχει δέ ποτε τοῦτο καὶ κυπρῖνος, ἧττον δέ.
The cyprinus also suffers this sometimes, but to a lesser degree.
Οἱ δὲ γλάνεις ἐν τοῖς βραχέσι καὶ ὑπὸ δράκοντος τοῦ ὄφεως τυπτόμενοι ἀπόλλυνται πολλοί.
Many of the glanis in shallow waters also perish by being struck by the dragon-snake.
Ἐν δὲ τῷ βαλλιρῷ καὶ τίλωνι ἑλμὶς ἐγγινομένη ὑπὸ κύνα μετεωρίζει τε καὶ ἀσθενῆ ποιεῖ· μετέωρος δὲ γινόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ καύματος ἀπόλλυται.
In the balliros and the tilon, a worm generating under the dog star causes them to float to the surface and makes them weak; and having come to the surface, they perish because of the heat.
Τῇ δὲ χαλκίδι νόσημα ἐμπίπτει νεανικόν· φθεῖρες ὑπὸ τὰ βράγχια γιγνόμενοι πολλοὶ ἀναιροῦσιν.
A violent disease falls upon the chalkis; many lice generating under their gills destroy them.
Τῶν δ’ ἄλλων ἰχθύων οὐθενὶ οὐθὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστι νόσημα.
No such disease exists in any of the other fish.
Ἀποθνήσκουσι δὲ οἱ ἰχθῦς τῷ πλόμῳ· διὸ καὶ θηρεύουσιν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς καὶ λίμναις πλομίζοντες, οἱ δὲ Φοίνικες καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ.
Fish also die from plomos; which is why others catch those in rivers and lakes by poisoning them with plomos, while the Phoenicians catch even those in the sea.
Ποιοῦνται δέ τινες καὶ δύ’ ἄλλας θήρας τῶν ἰχθύων.
Some also practice two other methods of catching fish.
Διὰ γὰρ τὸ φεύγειν ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι τὰ βαθέα ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς (καὶ γὰρ ἄλλως τὸ πότιμον ὕδωρ ψυχρόν) ὀρύττουσι τάφρον εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν διὰ ξηροῦ· εἶτα ταύτην καταστεγάσαντες χόρτῳ καὶ λίθοις οἷον γωλεὸν ποιοῦσιν, ἔκδυσιν ἔχοντα ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ· καὶ ὅταν πάγος ᾖ, ἐκ τούτου κύρτῳ θηρεύουσι τοὺς ἰχθῦς.
Because of avoiding the deep parts in rivers in winter (for drinking-water is otherwise cold), they dig a trench into the river through dry land; then, having covered this with grass and stones, they make a sort of cave, having an exit from the river; and when there is ice, they catch the fish from this with a weel.
Καὶ ἄλλην δὲ θήραν ποιοῦνται ὁμοίως θέρους καὶ χειμῶνος· ἐν μέσῳ τῷ ποταμῷ φρυγάνοις καὶ λίθοις περιφράξαντες ὅσον στόμα καταλείπουσιν· ἐν τούτῳ κύρτον ἐνθέντες θηρεύουσιν, περιελόντες τοὺς λίθους.
And they also make another catch similarly in summer and winter: having fenced off a space in the middle of the river with brushwood and stones, they leave only an opening; placing a weel in this, they catch them, removing the stones.
Τῶν δ’ ὀστρακοδέρμων συμφέρει τοῖς ἄλλοις τὰ ἔπομβρα ἔτη, πλὴν ταῖς πορφύραις.
Of the shell-fish, rainy years are beneficial to the others, except for the purpurae.
Σημεῖον δέ· ὅταν γὰρ τεθῇ οὗ ποταμὸς ἐξερεύγεται, καὶ γεύσωνται τοῦ ὕδατος, ἀποθνήσκουσιν αὐθημερόν.
A sign of this is that when they are placed where a river empties and they taste the water, they die on the same day.
Καὶ ζῇ δ’ ἡ πορφύρα, ὅταν θηρευθῇ, περὶ ἡμέρας πεντήκοντα.
The purpura also lives, when caught, for about fifty days.
Τρέφονται δ’ ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων· ἐπιγίνεται γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὀστράκοις ὥσπερ φῦκός τι καὶ βρύον.
They feed upon one another, for a sort of weed and moss grows upon their shells.
Ἃ δ’ ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς τροφὴν αὐταῖς, τοῦ σταθμοῦ φασὶ χάριν εἶναι πρὸς τὸ πλέον ἕλκειν.
What people throw in as food for them is said to be for the sake of weight, in order that they may weigh more.
Τοῖς δ’ ἄλλοις οἱ αὐχμοὶ ἀσύμφοροι· ἐλάττω γὰρ καὶ χείρω γίνεται, καὶ οἱ πυρροὶ τότε γίνονται μᾶλλον κτένες.
For the others, droughts are disadvantageous; for they become smaller and worse, and the red pectens then become more numerous.
Ἐν δὲ τῷ Πυρραίῳ ποτ’ εὐρίπῳ ἐξέλιπον οἱ κτένες οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ὄργανον ᾧ θηρεύοντες ἀνέξυον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τοὺς αὐχμούς.
In the Euripus of Pyrrha, the pectens once failed not only because of the instrument with which they scraped them up in fishing, but also because of the droughts.
Καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δ’ ὀστρακοδέρμοις τὰ ἔπομβρα ἔτη συμφέρει διὰ τὸ γλυκυτέραν γίγνεσθαι τὴν θάλατταν.
For the other shell-fish, too, rainy years are beneficial because the sea becomes sweeter.
Ἐν δὲ τῷ Πόντῳ διὰ τὸ ψῦχος οὐ γίγνονται, οὐδ’ ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς ἀλλ’ ἢ ὀλίγα τῶν διθύρων· τὰ δὲ μονόθυρα μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς πάγοις ἐμπήγνυται.
In the Pontus they do not occur because of the cold, nor in rivers except for a few of the bivalves; and the univalves are especially frozen in the ice.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν τὰ ἔνυδρα τῶν ζῴων τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον·
Concerning water animals, then, this is how it stands.