§8.28Διαφέρει δὲ τὰ ζῷα καὶ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἔν τισιν ἔνια οὐ γίνεται παντάπασιν, οὕτως ἐν ἐνίοις τόποις γίνεται μὲν ἐλάττω δὲ καὶ ὀλιγοβιώτερα, καὶ οὐκ εὐημερεῖ.
also differ according to their localities; for just as some do not exist at all in certain places, so in some localities they do exist but are smaller and shorter-lived, and do not thrive.
Καὶ ἐνίοτε ἐν τοῖς πάρεγγυς τόποις ἡ διαφορὰ γίνεται τῶν τοιούτων, οἷον τῆς Μιλησίας ἐν τόποις γειτνιῶσιν ἀλλήλοις ἔνθα μὲν γίνονται τέττιγες ἔνθα δ’ οὐ γίγνονται, καὶ ἐν Κεφαληνίᾳ ποταμὸς διείργει, οὗ ἐπὶ τάδε μὲν γίγνονται τέττιγες, ἐπ’ ἐκεῖνα δ’ οὐ γίνονται.
And sometimes this difference occurs in adjacent places, as in the Milesian territory in places neighboring each other, where in one area cicadas are produced, but in another they are not; and in Cephallenia a river divides the land, on this side of which cicadas are produced, but on the other side they are not.
Ἐν δὲ Πορδοσελήνῃ ὁδὸς διείργει, ἧς ἐπ’ ἐκεῖνα μὲν γαλῆ γίνεται, ἐπὶ θάτερα δ’ οὐ γίνεται.
In Pordoselene a road divides the land, on the other side of which the weasel exists, but on the other side it does not.
Καὶ ἐν τῇ Βοιωτίᾳ ἀσπάλακες περὶ μὲν τὸν Ὀρχομενὸν πολλοὶ γίγνονται, ἐν δὲ τῇ Λεβαδιακῇ γειτνιώσῃ οὐκ εἰσίν, οὐδ’ ἄν τις κομίσῃ, ἐθέλουσιν ὀρύττειν.
In Boeotia, moles are produced in large numbers around Orchomenus, but in the neighboring district of Lebadia there are none, and even if someone brings them in, they are not willing to burrow.
Ἐν Ἰθάκῃ δ’ οἱ δασύποδες, ἐάν τις ἀφῇ κομίσας, οὐ δύνανται ζῆν, ἀλλὰ φαίνονται τεθνεῶτες πρὸς τῇ θαλάττῃ ἐστραμμένοι, ᾗπερ ἂν εἰσαχθῶσιν.
In Ithaca, if someone brings in and releases hares, they cannot live, but are found dead facing the sea by which they were imported.
Καὶ ἐν μὲν Σικελίᾳ ἱππομύρμηκες οὐκ εἰσίν, ἐν δὲ Κυρήνῃ οἱ φωνοῦντες βάτραχοι πρότερον οὐκ ἦσαν.
In Sicily there are no horse-ants, and in Cyrene there were formerly no croaking frogs.
Ἐν δὲ Λιβύῃ πάσῃ οὔτε σῦς ἄγριός ἐστιν οὔτ’ ἔλαφος οὔτ’ αἲξ ἄγριος· ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἰνδικῇ, ὡς φησὶ Κτησίας οὐκ ὢν ἀξιόπιστος, οὔτ’ ἄγριος οὔτε ἥμερος ὗς, τὰ δ’ ἄναιμα καὶ τὰ φωλοῦντα πάντα μεγάλα.
In all Libya there is neither wild boar, nor deer, nor wild goat; and in India, as Ctesias says, who is not trustworthy, there is neither wild nor tame pig, but all the bloodless and burrowing animals are huge.
Καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ Πόντῳ οὔτε τὰ μαλάκια γίνεται οὔτε τὰ ὀστρακόδερμα, εἰ μὴ ἔν τισι τόποις ὀλίγα· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάττῃ ὑπερμεγέθη τὰ ὀστρακόδερμα πάντα.
In the Pontus, neither molluscs nor testaceans are produced, except a few in certain places; but in the Red Sea all the testaceans are extremely large.
Ἐν δὲ Συρίᾳ τὰ πρόβατα τὰς οὐρὰς ἔχει τὸ πλάτος πήχεως, τὰ δ’ ὦτα αἱ αἶγες σπιθαμῆς καὶ παλαιστῆς, καὶ ἔνιαι συμβάλλουσι κάτω τὰ ὦτα πρὸς τὴν γῆν· καὶ οἱ βόες, ὥσπερ αἱ κάμηλοι, χαίτας ἔχουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀκρωμίων.
In Syria, sheep have tails a cubit in width, and goats have ears a span and a palm in length, and some let their ears hang down towards the ground; and the cattle, like camels, have manes on their shoulders.
Καὶ ἐν Λυκίᾳ αἱ αἶγες κείρονται, ὥσπερ τὰ πρόβατα παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις.
In Lycia, goats are shorn just as sheep are elsewhere.
Καὶ ἐν μὲν Λιβύῃ εὐθὺς γίνεται κέρατα ἔχοντα τὰ κερατώδη τῶν κριῶν, οὐ μόνον οἱ ἄρνες, ὥσπερ Ὅμηρός φησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τἆλλα· ἐν δὲ τῷ Πόντῳ περὶ τὴν Σκυθικὴν τοὐναντίον· ἀκέρατα γὰρ γίνονται.
In Libya, those of the rams that are horned are born with horns immediately, not only the lambs, as Homer says, but also the others; but in the Pontus around Scythia, it is the opposite, for they are born hornless.
Καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μείζω ἢ ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι, καθάπερ οἱ βόες καὶ τὰ πρόβατα, τὰ δ’ ἐλάττω, οἷον οἱ κύνες καὶ λύκοι καὶ λαγωοὶ καὶ ἀλώπεκες καὶ κόρακες καὶ ἱέρακες, τὰ δὲ παραπλήσια, οἷον κορῶναι καὶ αἶγες.
In Egypt, while some animals are larger than in Greece, such as cattle and sheep, others are smaller, such as dogs, wolves, hares, foxes, crows, and hawks, and others are of similar size, such as jackdaws and goats.
Αἰτιῶνται δὲ τὰς τροφάς, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ἄφθονος τοῖς δὲ σπανία, οἷον τοῖς λύκοις καὶ τοῖς ἱέραξι, τοῖς δὲ σαρκοφάγοις ὀλίγη· σπάνια γὰρ τὰ μικρὰ ὄρνεα· τοῖς δὲ δασύποσι, καὶ ὅσα μὴ σαρκοφάγα, ὅτι οὔτ’ ἀκρόδρυα οὔτ’ ὀπώρα χρόνιος.
They blame the food, because for some it is abundant and for others scarce; for instance, for wolves and hawks and other carnivorous animals food is scarce, for small birds are rare; and for hares and other non-carnivorous animals, because there are neither nuts nor late fruits.
Πολλαχοῦ δὲ καὶ ἡ κρᾶσις αἰτία, οἷον ἐν τῇ Ἰλλυρίδι καὶ τῇ Θρᾴκῃ καὶ τῇ Ἠπείρῳ οἱ ὄνοι μικροί, ἐν δὲ τῇ Σκυθικῇ καὶ Κελτικῇ ὅλως οὐ γίγνονται· δυσχείμερα γὰρ ταῦτα.
In many places the climate is also the cause; for instance, in Illyria, Thrace, and Epirus asses are small, and in Scythia and the Celtic land they do not exist at all, for these places have severe winters.
Ἐν δ’ Ἀραβίᾳ σαῦραι μείζους πηχυαίων γίνονται καὶ μύες πολὺ μείζους τῶν ἀρουραίων, τὰ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν σκέλη ἔχοντες καὶ σπιθαμῆς, τὰ δ’ ὀπίσθια ὅσον ἄχρι τῆς πρώτης καμπῆς τῶν δακτύλων.
In Arabia, lizards are produced larger than a cubit, and mice are much larger than field-mice, having front legs of a span's length, and hind legs only up to the first joint of the toes.
Ἐν δὲ τῇ Λιβύῃ τὸ τῶν ὄφεων μέγεθος γίνεται ἄπλατον, ὥσπερ καὶ λέγεται· ἤδη γάρ φασί τινες προσπλεύσαντες ἰδεῖν ὀστᾶ βοῶν πολλῶν, ἃ δῆλον γενέσθαι αὐτοῖς ὅτι ὑπ’ ὄφεων ἦν κατεδηδεσμένα· ἀναγομένων γὰρ ταχὺ διώκειν τὰς τριήρεις αὐτούς, καὶ ἐνίους αὐτῶν ἐμβαλεῖν ἀνατρέψαντας τὴν τριήρη.
In Libya, the size of the snakes becomes immense, just as is reported; for some say that when they sailed near, they saw the bones of many oxen, which it was clear to them had been devoured by snakes; for when they put to sea, the snakes quickly pursued their triremes, and some of them threw themselves upon them and overturned the trireme.
Ἔτι δὲ λέοντες μὲν ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπῃ μᾶλλον, καὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τόπῳ τοῦ Ἀχελῴου καὶ Νέσσου· παρδάλεις δ’ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ἐν δὲ τῇ Εὐρώπῃ οὐ γίγνονται.
Furthermore, lions exist more in Europe, and in that part of Europe between the Achelous and Nessus; leopards exist in Asia, but do not exist in Europe.
Ὅλως δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄγρια ἀγριώτερα ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ἀνδρειότερα δ’ ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπῃ πάντα, πολυμορφότατα δ’ ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ· καὶ λέγεται δέ τις παροιμία, ὅτι “ἀεὶ Λιβύη φέρει τι καινόν. ” Διὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνομβρίαν μίσγεσθαι δοκεῖ ἀπαντῶντα πρὸς τὰ ὑδάτια καὶ τὰ μὴ ὁμόφυλα, καὶ ἐκφέρειν ὧν οἱ χρόνοι οἱ τῆς κυήσεως οἱ αὐτοὶ καὶ τὰ μεγέθη μὴ πολὺ ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων· πρὸς ἄλληλα δὲ πραΰνεται διὰ τὴν τοῦ ποτοῦ χρείαν.
In general, wild animals are wilder in Asia, all are braver in Europe, and most diverse in form in Libya; and there is a proverb, "Libya always brings something new." For because of the drought, they seem to mate when they meet at the watering places even with those not of the same species, and to produce offspring from those whose periods of gestation are the same and whose sizes are not far apart; and they are tamed towards one another because of the need for drink.
Καὶ γὰρ καὶ δέονται τοῦ πίνειν τοὐναντίον τῶν ἄλλων τοῦ χειμῶνος μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ θέρους· διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ εἰωθέναι ὕδατα γίνεσθαι τοῦ θέρους ἀσύνηθες αὐτοῖς τὸ πίνειν ἐστίν.
Indeed, they need to drink, contrary to other animals, more in the winter than in the summer; for because they are not accustomed to water being produced in the summer, drinking is unusual for them.
Καὶ οἵ γε μύες ὅταν πίωσιν, ἀποθνήσκουσιν.
And the mice indeed die when they drink.
Γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἐκ μίξεως μὴ ὁμοφύλων, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν Κυρήνῃ οἱ λύκοι μίσγονται ταῖς κυσὶ καὶ γεννῶσι, καὶ ἐξ ἀλώπεκος καὶ κυνὸς οἱ Λακωνικοί.
Other animals also arise from the mixing of different species; just as in Cyrene wolves mate with dogs and produce offspring, and the Laconian dogs are from a fox and a dog.
Φασὶ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τίγριος καὶ κυνὸς γίνεσθαι τοὺς Ἰνδικούς, οὐκ εὐθὺς δὲ ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τῆς τρίτης μίξεως· τὸ γὰρ πρῶτον γεννηθὲν θηριῶδες γίνεσθαί φασιν.
They say also that Indian dogs are produced from a tiger and a dog, not immediately but at the third mating; for they say the first offspring born is wild.
Ἄγοντες δὲ δεσμεύουσιν εἰς τὰς ἐρημίας τὰς κύνας· καὶ πολλαὶ κατεσθίονται, ἐὰν μὴ τύχῃ ὀργῶν πρὸς τὴν ὀχείαν τὸ θηρίον.
They take and tie up the female dogs in deserts; and many are eaten up, if the wild beast does not happen to be eager for mating.