§9.37#2Οὐ γίνεται δ’ ἐν τῷ εὐρίπῳ οὔτε σκάρος οὔτε θρίττα οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν ἀκανθηροτέρων οὐθέν, οὐδὲ γαλεοὶ οὐδὲ ἀκανθίαι οὐδὲ κάραβοι οὐδὲ πολύποδες οὐδὲ βολίταιναι οὐδ’ ἄλλ’ ἄττα·
There is produced in the strait neither the scarus nor the thritta nor any other of the spiny fish, nor sharks, nor dogfish, nor crawfish, nor octopuses, nor bolitainae, nor any other such creatures.
τῶν δ’ ἐν τῷ εὐρίπῳ φυομένων οὐκ ἔστι πελάγιος ὁ λευκὸς κωβιός.
And of those produced in the strait, the white goby is not pelagic.
Ἀκμάζουσι δὲ τῶν ἰχθύων οἱ μὲν ᾠοφόροι τοῦ ἔαρος, μέχρι οὗ ἂν ἐκτέκωσιν, οἱ δὲ ζῳοτόκοι τοῦ μετοπώρου, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις κεστρεῖς καὶ τρίγλαι καὶ τἆλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα.
Among fish, the egg-bearing ones are at their prime in spring, until they have spawned, while the viviparous ones are so in autumn, and in addition to these, mullets, red mullets, and all other such fish.
Περὶ δὲ τὴν Λέσβον καὶ τὰ πελάγια πάντα καὶ τὰ εὐριπώδη τίκτει ἐν τῷ εὐρίπῳ· ὀχεύονται μὲν γὰρ τοῦ μετοπώρου, τίκτουσι δὲ τοῦ ἔαρος.
Around Lesbos, all the pelagic and the strait-dwelling fish spawn in the strait; for they mate in autumn and spawn in spring.
Ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὰ σελάχη κατὰ μὲν τὸ μετόπωρον ἀναμὶξ τὰ ἄρρενα τοῖς θήλεσι κατὰ τὴν ὀχείαν, τοῦ δ’ ἔαρος εἰσπλέουσι διακεκριμένα, μέχρι οὗ ἂν ἐκτέκωσιν· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὀχείαν ἁλίσκεται πολλὰ συνεζευγμένα.
The cartilaginous fish also mate in autumn, mixing males with females, and in spring they swim in separately until they spawn; and during the mating season many are caught joined together.
Τῶν δὲ μαλακίων πανουργότατον μὲν ἡ σηπία, καὶ μόνον χρῆται τῷ θόλῳ κρύψεως χάριν, καὶ οὐ μόνον φοβουμένη· ὁ δὲ πολύπους καὶ ἡ τευθὶς διὰ φόβον ἀφίησι τὸν θόλον.
Among the mollusks, the cuttlefish is the most cunning, and it alone uses its ink for the sake of concealment, and not only when it is afraid; whereas the octopus and the squid discharge their ink out of fear.
Ἀφίησι δὲ ταῦτα πάντα οὐδέποτε ἀθρόον τὸν θόλον· καὶ ὅταν ἀφῇ, αὐξάνεται πάλιν.
All of these never discharge their ink all at once; and when they have discharged it, it increases again.
Ἡ δὲ σηπία, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, τῷ τε θόλῳ πολλάκις χρῆται κρύψεως χάριν, καὶ προδείξασα εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν ἀναστρέφεται εἰς τὸν θόλον· ἔτι δὲ θηρεύει τοῖς μακροῖς τοῖς ἀποτείνουσιν οὐ μόνον τὰ μικρὰ τῶν ἰχθυδίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κεστρέας πολλάκις.
The cuttlefish, as has been said, often uses its ink for concealment, and after presenting it to the front, it turns back into the ink; furthermore, it hunts with its long, extending tentacles not only small fry, but often mullets as well.
Ὁ δὲ πολύπους ἀνόητον μέν ἐστι (καὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν χεῖρα βαδίζει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθιεμένην), οἰκονομικὸς δ’ ἐστίν· πάντα γὰρ συλλέγει μὲν εἰς τὴν θαλάμην, οὗ τυγχάνει κατοικῶν, ὅταν δὲ καταναλώσῃ τὰ χρησιμώτατα, ἐκβάλλει τὰ ὄστρακα καὶ τὰ κελύφια τῶν καρκίνων καὶ κογχυλίων καὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας τῶν ἰχθυδίων· καὶ θηρεύει τοὺς ἰχθῦς τὸ χρῶμα μεταβάλλων καὶ ποιῶν ὅμοιον οἷς ἂν πλησιάζῃ λίθοις.
The octopus is foolish (for it moves toward the hand of a human when it is let down), but it is orderly; for it collects everything into the chamber where it happens to dwell, and when it has consumed the most useful parts, it casts out the shells and carapaces of crabs and shellfish, and the bones of small fish; and it hunts fish by changing its color and making it similar to whatever stones it approaches.
Τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ φοβηθείς.
It does this same thing when afraid.
Λέγεται δ’ ὑπό τινων ὡς καὶ ἡ σηπία τοῦτο ποιεῖ· παρόμοιον γάρ φασι τὸ χρῶμα ποιεῖν τὸ αὑτῆς τῷ τόπῳ περὶ ὃν διατρίβει.
It is said by some that the cuttlefish also does this; for they say it makes its color similar to the place where it spends its time.
Τῶν δ’ ἰχθύων τοῦτο ποιεῖ μόνον ῥίνη· μεταβάλλει γὰρ τὴν χρόαν ὥσπερ ὁ πολύπους.
Among fish, only the angel-fish does this; for it changes its color just like the octopus.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν πλεῖστον γένος τῶν πολυπόδων οὐ διετίζει· καὶ γὰρ φύσει συντηκτικόν ἐστιν· σημεῖον δ’ ἐστίν, πιλούμενος γὰρ ἀφίησιν ἀεί τι καὶ τέλος ἀφανίζεται.
Now the main class of octopuses does not survive the year; for they are by nature prone to wasting away; and this is a sign, for when squeezed it always discharges something and finally disappears.
Αἱ δὲ θήλειαι μετὰ τὸν τόκον τοῦτο πάσχουσι μᾶλλον, καὶ γίνονται μωραί, καὶ οὔτε κυματιζόμεναι αἰσθάνονται, λαβεῖν τε τῇ χειρὶ κατακολυμβήσαντα ῥᾴδιον· βλεννώδεις τε γίνονται, καὶ οὐδὲ θηρεύουσιν ἔτι προσκαθήμεναι.
The females suffer this more after spawning, and they become foolish, and do not even perceive when they are tossed by waves, and it is easy for a diver to capture them by hand; they also become slimy and no longer even hunt while clinging.
Οἱ δ’ ἄρρενες σκυτώδεις τε γίνονται καὶ γλίσχροι.
The males become leathery and sticky.
Σημεῖον δὲ δοκεῖ εἶναι τοῦ μὴ διετίζειν, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν γένεσιν τῶν πολυποδίων ἔν γε τῷ θέρει καὶ πρὸς τὸ φθινόπωρον μέγαν πολύπουν οὐκέτι ῥᾴδιόν ἐστιν ἰδεῖν, μικρὸν δὲ πρὸ τούτου τοῦ καιροῦ μέγιστοί εἰσιν οἱ πολύποδες.
It seems to be a sign of their not surviving the year that, after the birth of the little octopuses, in summer and towards autumn, it is no longer easy to see a large octopus, whereas shortly before this season the octopuses are at their largest.
Ὅταν δὲ τὰ ᾠὰ ἐκτέκωσιν, οὕτω καταγηράσκειν καὶ ἀσθενεῖς γίνεσθαι ἀμφοτέρους φασὶν ὥστε ὑπὸ τῶν ἰχθυδίων κατεσθίεσθαι καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἀποσπᾶσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν φωλεῶν· πρότερον δὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν πάσχειν.
And when they have spawned their eggs, they say both of them grow so old and weak that they are eaten by small fish and are easily pulled away from their holes; whereas previously they suffer nothing of the sort.
Ἔτι δὲ τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ νέους τῶν πολυπόδων μετὰ τὴν γένεσιν οὐθέν φασι τοιοῦτον πάσχειν, ἀλλ’ ἰσχυροτέρους εἶναι τῶν μειζόνων.
Furthermore, they say that the small and young octopuses after their birth suffer nothing of this kind, but are stronger than the larger ones.
Οὐ διετίζουσι δ’ οὐδ’ αἱ σηπίαι.
The cuttlefishes also do not survive the year.
Εἰς δὲ τὸ ξηρὸν ἐξέρχεται μόνον τῶν μαλακίων ὁ πολύπους· πορεύεται δ’ ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχέος, τὸ δὲ λεῖον φεύγει.
Among the mollusks, only the octopus goes out onto dry land; it walks on rough ground and avoids the smooth.
Ἔστι δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἰσχυρὸν τὸ ζῷον, τὸν δὲ τράχηλον ἀσθενές, ὅταν πιεσθῇ.
In other respects the animal is strong, but its neck is weak when squeezed.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν μαλακίων τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· τὰς δὲ κόγχας φασὶ τὰς λεπτὰς καὶ τραχείας ποιεῖσθαι περὶ αὑτὰς οἷον θώρακα σκληρόν, καὶ τοῦτον μείζονα, ὅταν γίνωνται μείζους, καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἐξιέναι ὥσπερ ἐκ φωλεοῦ τινὸς ἢ οἰκίας.
Such, then, is the case with the mollusks; as for the shellfish with thin and rough shells, they say they construct around themselves a kind of hard breastplate, and make this larger when they grow larger, and go out of this as if from some hole or house.
Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ ναυτίλος πολύπους τῇ τε φύσει καὶ οἷς ποιεῖ περιττός· ἐπιπλεῖ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάττης, τὴν ἀναφορὰν ποιησάμενος κάτωθεν ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ, καὶ ἀναφέρεται μὲν κατεστραμμένῳ τῷ ὀστράκῳ, ἵνα ῥᾷόν γε ἀνέλθῃ καὶ κενῷ ναυτίλληται, ἐπιπολάσας δὲ μεταστρέφει.
The paper nautilus is also an octopus that is extraordinary both in its nature and in what it does; for it floats on top of the sea, having made its ascent from below out of the depth, and it ascends with its shell overturned so that it may rise more easily and sail when empty, and having reached the surface it turns around.
Ἔχει δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν πλεκτανῶν ἐπί τι συνυφές, ὅμοιον τοῖς στεγανόποσι τὸ μεταξὺ τῶν δακτύλων· πλὴν ἐκείνοις μὲν παχύ, τούτοις δὲ λεπτὸν τοῦτο καὶ ἀραχνιῶδές ἐστιν.
It has between its tentacles a kind of web, similar to the webbing between the toes of web-footed birds; except in those birds it is thick, while in these it is thin and like a spider's web.
Χρῆται δ’ αὐτῷ, ὅταν πνεῦμά τι ᾖ, ἱστίῳ· ἀντὶ πηδαλίων δὲ τῶν πλεκτανῶν παρακαθίησιν· ἂν δὲ φοβηθῇ, καταδύνει τῆς θαλάττης μεστώσας τὸ ὄστρακον.
It uses this as a sail when there is any wind; and instead of rudders, it lets down its tentacles alongside; and if it is afraid, it dives, filling its shell with sea-water.
Περὶ δὲ γενέσεως καὶ συναυξήσεως τοῦ ὀστράκου ἀκριβῶς μὲν οὔπω ὦπται, δοκεῖ δ’ οὐκ ἐξ ὀχείας γίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ φύεσθαι ὥσπερ τἆλλα κογχύλια.
Concerning the generation and growth of the shell, it has not yet been precisely observed, but it seems not to arise from mating, but to grow just like other shells.
Οὐ δῆλον δέ πω οὐδ’ εἰ ἀποδυόμενος δύναται ζῆν.
Nor is it yet clear whether it can live when stripped of it.