§8.29Ποιοῦσι δ’ οἱ τόποι διαφέροντα καὶ τὰ ἤθη, οἷον οἱ ὀρεινοὶ καὶ τραχεῖς τῶν ἐν τοῖς πεδινοῖς καὶ μαλακοῖς· καὶ γὰρ τὰς ὄψεις ἀγριώτερα καὶ ἀλκιμώτερα, καθάπερ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ Ἄθῳ ὕες· τούτων γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰς θηλείας ὑπομένουσι τῶν κάτω οἱ ἄρρενες.
Localities also cause characters to differ, for instance, those of mountainous and rugged places from those in plains and soft places; for they are wilder and more vigorous in appearance, just as the wild boars on Mount Athos; for even the females of these are not withstood by the males of the lowlands.
Καὶ πρὸς τὰ δήγματα δὲ τῶν θηρίων μεγάλην ἔχουσιν αἱ χῶραι διαφοράν, οἷον περὶ μὲν Φάρον καὶ ἄλλους τόπους οἱ σκορπίοι οὐ χαλεποί, ἐν ἄλλοις δὲ τόποις καὶ ἐν τῇ Καρίᾳ πολλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι καὶ χαλεποὶ γίγνονται, κἄν τινα πατάξωσιν ἄνθρωπον ἢ θηρίον, ἀποκτείνουσι, καὶ τὰς ὗς, αἳ ἥκιστα αἰσθάνονται τῶν ἄλλων δηγμάτων, καὶ τούτων τὰς μελαίνας μᾶλλον ἀποκτείνουσιν· τάχιστα δ’ ἀπόλλυνται αἱ ὕες πληγεῖσαι, ἐὰν εἰς ὕδωρ ἔλθωσιν.
And as for the bites of wild beasts, regions have a great difference; for instance, around Pharos and other places scorpions are not troublesome, but in other places and in Caria they are numerous, large, and troublesome, and if they strike any human or beast, they kill them, and they kill even the pigs, which least feel other bites, and especially the black ones among them; and the pigs die most quickly when struck, if they go into water.
Τά τε τῶν ὄφεων δήγματα πολὺ διαφέρουσιν.
The bites of snakes also differ greatly.
Ἥ τε γὰρ ἀσπὶς ἐν Λιβύῃ γίνεται, ἐξ οὖ ὄφεως ποιοῦσι τὸ σηπτικόν, καὶ ἄλλως ἀνιάτως.
For the asp exists in Libya, from which snake they make the septic poison, and its bite is otherwise incurable.
Γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ σιλφίῳ τι ὀφείδιον, οὗ καὶ λέγεται ἄκος εἶναι λίθος τις, ὃν λαμβάνουσιν ἀπὸ τάφου βασιλέως τῶν ἀρχαίων καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἀποβάψαντες πίνουσιν.
There is also a small snake in the silphium, for which it is said there is a cure, a certain stone which they take from the tomb of an ancient king and, after dipping it in wine, drink.
Τῆς δ’ Ἰταλίας ἔν τισι τόποις καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀσκαλαβωτῶν δήγματα θανάσιμά ἐστιν.
In some parts of Italy, even the bites of geckos are fatal.
Πάντων δὲ χαλεπώτερά ἐστι τὰ δήγματα τῶν ἰοβόλων, ἐὰν τύχῃ ἀλλήλων ἐδηδοκότα, οἷον σκορπίον ἔχις.
But the most troublesome of all are the bites of venomous creatures if they happen to have eaten one another, for example, a viper having eaten a scorpion.
Ἔστι δὲ τοῖς πλείστοις αὐτῶν πολέμιον τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πτύελον.
And for most of them, human saliva is hostile.
Ἔστι δέ τι ὀφείδιον μικρόν, ὃ καλοῦσί τινες ἱερόν, ὃ οἱ πάνυ μεγάλοι ὄφεις φεύγουσιν· γίνεται δὲ τὸ μέγιστον πηχυαῖον, καὶ δασὺ ἰδεῖν· ὅ τι δ’ ἂν δάκῃ, εὐθὺς σήπεται τὸ κύκλῳ.
There is also a small snake, which some call "sacred," which very large snakes flee; it becomes at most a cubit long, and is rough to look at; whatever it bites, the surrounding area immediately rots.
Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰνδικῇ ὀφείδιόν τι, οὗ μόνου φάρμακον οὐκ ἔχουσιν.
And in India there is a small snake, for which alone they have no remedy.
§8.30Διαφέρει δὲ τὰ ζῷα τῷ εὐημερεῖν ἢ τοὐναντίον καὶ περὶ τὰς κυήσεις.
Animals also differ in thriving or the opposite during gestation.
Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὀστρακόδερμα, οἷον κτένες καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ ὀστρεώδη καὶ τὰ μαλακόστρακα, ἄριστά ἐστιν ὅταν κύῃ, οἷον τὰ καραβώδη.
For testaceans, such as scallops and all oyster-like creatures, and crustacea, such as lobsters, are best when they are pregnant.
Λέγεται δὲ κύησις καὶ τῶν ὀστρακοδέρμων· τὰ μὲν γὰρ μαλακόστρακα καὶ ὀχευόμενα ὁρᾶται καὶ ἀποτίκτοντα, ἐκείνων δ’ οὐθέν.
Gestation is also spoken of for testaceans; for while crustacea are seen both mating and producing offspring, none of those do.
Καὶ τὰ μαλάκια δὲ κύοντα ἄριστα, οἷον τευθίδες τε καὶ σηπίαι καὶ πολύποδες.
Cephalopods also are best when pregnant, such as squids, cuttlefish, and octopuses.
Οἱ δ’ ἰχθῦς ἀρχόμενοι μὲν κυΐσκεσθαι σχεδὸν ἀγαθοὶ πάντες, προϊούσης δὲ τῆς κυήσεως οἱ μὲν οἱ δ’ οὔ.
But fish, when they begin to conceive, are almost all good, but as gestation progresses, some are and others are not.
Κύουσα μὲν οὖν ἀγαθὴ μαινίς· μορφὴ δὲ τῆς θηλείας στρογγυλωτέρα, ὁ δ’ ἄρρην μακρότερος καὶ πλατύτερος· συμβαίνει δ’ ἀρχομένης κυΐσκεσθαι τῆς θηλείας τοὺς ἄρρενας μέλαν τὸ χρῶμα ἴσχειν καὶ ποικιλώτερον, καὶ φαγεῖν χειρίστους εἶναι· καλοῦνται δ’ ὑπ’ ἐνίων τράγοι περὶ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον.
Thus, the pregnant maenis is good; the shape of the female is rounder, while the male is longer and flatter; and it happens that when the female begins to conceive, the males get a black and more variegated color, and are worst to eat; they are called "tragi" by some at this time.
Μεταβάλλουσι δὲ καὶ οὓς καλοῦσι κοττύφους καὶ κίχλας καὶ ἡ καρὶς τὸ χρῶμα κατὰ τὰς ὥρας, ὥσπερ ἔνια τῶν ὀρνέων· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἔαρος μέλανες γίνονται, εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ ἔαρος λευκοὶ πάλιν.
Those also which they call cottyphi, cichlae, and the caris change their color according to the seasons, just as some birds; for in the spring they become black, then after the spring they become white again.
Μεταβάλλει δὲ καὶ ἡ φυκὶς τὴν χρόαν· τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλον χρόνον λευκή ἐστι, τοῦ δ’ ἔαρος ποικίλη· μόνη δ’ αὕτη τῶν θαλαττίων ἰχθύων στιβαδοποιεῖται, ὡς φασί, καὶ τίκτει ἐν τῇ στιβάδι.
The phycis also changes its color; for at other times it is white, but in the spring it is variegated; and this alone of marine fish makes a bed, as they say, and spawns in the bed.
Μεταβάλλει δὲ καὶ ἡ μαινίς, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, καὶ ἡ σμαρίς, καὶ ἐκ λευκοτέρων πάλιν ἐν τῷ θέρει καθίστανται καὶ γίνονται μέλανες· μάλιστα δ’ ἐπίδηλός ἐστι περὶ τὰ πτερύγια καὶ τὰ βράγχια.
The maenis also changes, as has been said, and the smaris, and from being whiter they settle down again in the summer and become black; this is especially obvious around the fins and gills.
Καὶ κορακῖνος δ’ ἄριστός ἐστι κύων, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ μαινίς.
The coracinus also is best when pregnant, just like the maenis.
Κεστρεὺς δὲ καὶ λάβραξ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πλωτοὶ φαῦλοι κύοντες σχεδὸν πάντες.
But the cestreus, labrax, and the rest of the free-swimming fish are almost all bad when pregnant.
Ὅμοιοι δὲ κύοντες καὶ μὴ ὀλίγοι, οἷον γλαῦκος.
But not a few are similar whether pregnant or not, such as the glaucus.
Φαῦλοι δὲ καὶ οἱ γέροντες τῶν ἰχθύων, καὶ οἵ γε θύννοι καὶ εἰς ταριχείας φαῦλοι οἱ γέροντες· πολὺ γὰρ συντήκεται τῆς σαρκός.
Old fish also are bad, and indeed old tunnies are bad even for salting; for much of their flesh melts away.
Τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων συμβαίνει ἰχθύων.
The same also happens in the case of other fish.
Δῆλοι δ’ οἱ γέροντες αὐτῶν τῷ μεγέθει τῶν λεπίδων καὶ τῇ σκληρότητι.
The old ones among them are clear by the size of their scales and their hardness.
Ἤδη δ’ ἐλήφθη γέρων θύννος οὗ σταθμὸς μὲν ἦν τάλαντα πεντεκαίδεκα, τοῦ δ’ οὐραίου τὸ διάστημα πέντε πήχεων ἦν καὶ σπιθαμῆς.
Once an old tunny was caught whose weight was fifteen talents, and the span of its tail-fin was five cubits and a span.
Οἱ δὲ ποτάμιοι καὶ οἱ λιμναῖοι ἄριστοι γίνονται μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν τοῦ κυήματος καὶ τοῦ θοροῦ, ὅταν ἀνατραφῶσιν· κύοντες δ’ ἔνιοι μὲν ἀγαθοί, οἷον σαπερδίς, ἔνιοι δὲ φαῦλοι, οἷον γλάνις.
But river and lake fish become best after the discharge of the eggs and milt, when they have recovered; when pregnant, some are good, such as the saperdis, and others bad, such as the glanis.
Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες ἀμείνους οἱ ἄρρενες τῶν θηλειῶν, γλάνις δ’ ὁ θῆλυς τοῦ ἄρρενος ἀμείνων.
Now, in all other fish the males are better than the females, but in the glanis the female is better than the male.
Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐγχέλυσι δέ, ἃς καλοῦσι θηλείας, ἀμείνους εἰσίν· οὐκ οὔσας δὲ θηλείας καλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ὄψει διαφόρους.
And among the eels, those which they call females are better; they call them females not because they are so, but because they differ in appearance.