§9.26Ἀσκαλώπας δ’ ἐν τοῖς κήποις ἁλίσκεται ἕρκεσιν· τὸ μέγεθος ὅσον ἀλεκτορίς, τὸ ῥύγχος μακρόν, τὸ χρῶμα ὅμοιον ἀτταγῆνι· τρέχει δὲ ταχύ, καὶ φιλάνθρωπόν ἐστιν ἐπιεικῶς.
The askalopas is caught in gardens with nets; in size it is as large as a hen, its beak is long, and its color is similar to the attagen; it runs quickly, and is reasonably friendly to humans.
Ὁ δὲ ψάρος ἐστὶ ποικίλος· μέγεθος δ’ ἐστὶν ἡλίκον κόττυφος.
The starling is variegated; in size it is as large as a blackbird.
§9.27Αἱ δ’ ἴβιες αἱ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ εἰσὶ μὲν διτταί, αἱ μὲν λευκαὶ αὐτῶν, αἱ δὲ μέλαιναι.
The ibises in Egypt are of two kinds: some of them are white, and others are black.
Ἐν μὲν οὖν τῇ ἄλλῃ Αἰγύπτῳ αἱ λευκαί· εἰσι, πλὴν ἐν Πηλουσίῳ οὐ γίνονται· αἱ δὲ μέλαιναι ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ Αἰγύπτῳ οὐκ εἰσίν, ἐν Πηλουσίῳ δ’ εἰσίν.
Now, the white ones are in the rest of Egypt, except they do not occur in Pelusium; the black ones are not in the rest of Egypt, but are in Pelusium.
§9.28Σκῶπες δ’ οἱ μὲν ἀεὶ πᾶσαν ὥραν εἰσί, καὶ καλοῦνται ἀεισκῶπες, καὶ οὐκ ἐσθίονται διὰ τὸ ἄβρωτοι εἶναι· ἕτεροι δὲ γίνονται ἐνίοτε τοῦ φθινοπώρου, φαίνονται δ’ ἐφ’ ἡμέραν μίαν ἢ δύο τὸ πλεῖστον, καὶ εἰσὶν ἐδώδιμοι καὶ σφόδρα εὐδοκιμοῦσιν.
Of the scops owls, some are always present at every season and are called aeiscopes, and they are not eaten because they are inedible; others appear occasionally in autumn, being visible for one or at most two days, and these are edible and highly esteemed.
Καὶ διαφέρουσι τῶν ἀεισκωπῶν καλουμένων οὗτοι ἄλλῳ μὲν ὡς εἰπεῖν οὐδενί, τῷ δὲ πάχει· καὶ οὗτοι μέν εἰσιν ἄφωνοι, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ φθέγγονται.
They differ from those called aeiscopes in almost nothing else, so to speak, but in fatness; and these latter are silent, while the former utter cries.
Περὶ δὲ γενέσεως αὐτῶν ἥτις ἐστίν, οὐθὲν ὦπται, πλὴν ὅτι τοῖς ζεφυρίοις φαίνονται· τοῦτο δὲ φανερόν.
Concerning their generation, whatever it may be, nothing has been observed, except that they appear during the westerly winds; this is clear.
§9.29Ὁ δὲ κόκκυξ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται ἐν ἑτέροις, οὐ ποιεῖ νεοττιάν, ἀλλ’ ἐν ἀλλοτρίαις τίκτει νεοττιαῖς, μάλιστα μὲν ἐν ταῖς τῶν φαβῶν καὶ ἐν ὑπολαΐδος καὶ κορύδου χαμαί, ἐπὶ δένδρου δ’ ἐν τῇ τῆς χλωρίδος καλουμένης νεοττιᾷ.
The cuckoo, as has been said in other places, does not make a nest, but lays in the nests of others, chiefly in those of wood-pigeons, the hypolais, and the lark on the ground, and on trees in the nest of the bird called chloris.
Τίκτει μὲν οὖν ἓν ᾠόν, ἐπῳάζει δ’ οὐκ αὐτός, ἀλλ’ ἐν οὗ αν τέκῃ νεοττιᾷ, οὗτος ὁ ὄρνις ἐκκολάπτει καὶ τρέφει, καὶ ὡς φασίν, ὅταν αὐξάνηται ὁ τοῦ κόκκυγος νεοττός, ἐκβάλλει τὰ αὑτῆς, καὶ ἀπόλλυνται οὕτως.
It lays one egg, and does not incubate it itself, but in whichever nest it may lay, that bird hatches and rears it; and as they say, when the cuckoo's chick grows, it casts out the host's own young, which thus perish.
Οἱ δὲ λέγουσιν ὡς καὶ ἀποκτείνασα ἡ τρέφουσα δίδωσι καταφαγεῖν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ καλὸν εἶναι τὸν τοῦ κόκκυγος νεοττὸν ἀποδοκιμάζει τὰ αὑτῆς.
Others say that the foster-parent actually kills her own and feeds them to the cuckoo's chick; for because the cuckoo's chick is beautiful, she rejects her own.
Τὰ μὲν οὖν πλεῖστα τούτων ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτόπται γεγενημένοι τινές· περὶ δὲ τῆς φθορᾶς τῆς τῶν νεοττῶν τῆς ὄρνιθος οὐχ ὡσαύτως πάντες λέγουσιν, ἀλλ’ οἱ μέν φασιν αὐτὸν ἐπιφοιτῶντα τὸν κόκκυγα κατεσθίειν τὰ τῆς ὑποδεξαμένης ὄρνιθος νεόττια, οἱ δὲ διὰ τὸ τῷ μεγέθει ὑπερέχειν τὸν νεοττὸν τοῦ κόκκυγος ὑποκάπτοντα τὰ προσφερόμενα φθάνειν, ὥστε λιμῷ τοὺς ἑτέρους· ἀπόλλυσθαι νεοττούς, οἱ δὲ κρείττω ὄντα ἀποκτιννύναι συντρεφόμενον αὐτοῖς.
Most of these facts are agreed upon by some who have been eyewitnesses; but concerning the destruction of the bird's own young, not all speak in the same way, but some say that the cuckoo itself comes and devours the chicks of the receiving bird, while others say that because the cuckoo's chick excels in size, it anticipates the others by snatching the food brought, so that the other chicks perish of hunger, and others say that being stronger, it kills those reared with it.
Δοκεῖ δ’ ὁ κόκκυξ φρόνιμον ποιεῖσθαι τὴν τέκνωσιν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ συνειδέναι αὑτῷ τὴν δειλίαν καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο βοηθῆσαι, διὰ τοῦτο ὥσπερ ὑποβολιμαίους ποιεῖ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ νεοττούς, ἵνα σωθῶσιν.
The cuckoo seems to manage its nesting wisely; for being conscious of its own cowardice and that it would not be able to help, it makes its own chicks like supposititious ones so that they may be saved.
Τὴν γὰρ δειλίαν ὑπερβάλλει τοῦτο τὸ ὄρνεον· τίλλεται γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν μικρῶν ὀρνέων, καὶ φεύγει αὐτά.
For this bird exceeds in cowardice; indeed, it is plucked by small birds and flees from them.
§9.30Οἱ δ’ ἄποδες, οὓς καλοῦσί τινες κυψέλους, ὅτι μὲν ὅμοιοι ταῖς χελιδόσιν εἰσίν, εἴρηται πρότερον· οὐ γὰρ ῥᾴδιον γνῶναι πρὸς τὴν χελιδόνα, πλὴν τῷ τὴν κνήμην ἔχειν δασεῖαν.
That the apodes, which some call cypseli, are similar to swallows has been said before; indeed, it is not easy to distinguish them from the swallow except by their having shaggy legs.
Οὗτοι νεοττεύουσιν ἐν κυψελίσιν ἐκ πηλοῦ πεπλασμέναις μακραῖς, ὅσον εἴσδυσιν ἐχούσαις.
These nest in long nests fashioned of mud, having only a small entrance.
Ἐν στεγνῷ δὲ ποιεῖται τὰς νεοττιὰς ὑπὸ πέτραις καὶ σπηλαίοις, ὥστε καὶ τὰ θηρία καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διαφεύγειν.
They make their nests in dry places under rocks and in caves, so as to escape both wild beasts and men.
Ὁ δὲ καλούμενος αἰγοθήλας ἔστι μὲν ὀρεινός, τὸ δὲ μέγεθος κοττύφου μὲν μικρῷ μείζων, κόκκυγος δ’ ἐλάττων.
The bird called aigothelas is a mountain bird, in size slightly larger than a blackbird and smaller than a cuckoo.
Τίκτει μὲν οὖν ᾠὰ δύο ἢ τρία τὸ πλεῖστον, τὸ δὲ ἦθός ἐστι βλακικός.
It lays two or at most three eggs, and its character is foolish.
Θηλάζει δὲ τὰς αἶγας προσπετόμενος, ὅθεν καὶ τοὔνομ’ εἴληφεν· φασὶ δ’, ὅταν θηλάσῃ τὸν μαστόν, ἀποσβέννυσθαί τε καὶ τὴν αἶγα ἀποτυφλοῦσθαι.
It flies to goats and sucks them, whence also it has received its name; they say that when it sucks the teat, the teat dries up and the goat becomes blind.
Ἔστι δ’ οὐκ ὀξυωπὸς τῆς ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ τῆς νυκτὸς βλέπει.
It is not sharp-sighted by day, but sees by night.
§9.31Οἱ δὲ κόρακες ἐν τοῖς μικροῖς χωρίοις, καὶ ὅπου μὴ ἱκανὴ τροφὴ πλείοσι, δύο μόνοι γίνονται· καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεοττούς, ὅταν οἷοί τ’ ὦσιν ἤδη πέτεσθαι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐκβάλλουσιν, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου ἐκδιώκουσιν.
Ravens, in small districts and where there is not enough food for many, live only in pairs; and their own young, as soon as they are able to fly, they first cast out of the nest and later drive out of the district.
Τίκτει δ’ ὁ κόραξ καὶ τέτταρα καὶ πέντε.
The raven lays four or five eggs.
Περὶ δὲ τοὺς χρόνους ἐν οἷς ἀπώλοντο οἱ Μηδίου ξένοι ἐν Φαρσάλῳ, ἐρημία ἐν τοῖς τόποις τοῖς περὶ Ἀθήνας καὶ Πελοπόννησον ἐγένετο κοράκων, ὡς ἐχόντων αἴσθησίν τινα τῆς παρ’ ἀλλήλων δηλώσεως.
About the times when the guests of Medius perished in Pharsalus, there occurred a desertion of ravens in the places about Athens and the Peloponnese, as though they possessed some perception of communication from one another.