§175.1Fr. 175
Ὅτι ὁ γαλεώτης, φασὶ, φθονῶν τῆς ὠφελείας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καταπίνει τὸ δέρμα ὅταν ἐκδύσηται· ἐστὶ γὰρ βοήθημα ἐπιλήπτῳ.
They say that the spotted lizard, begrudging humans its benefit, swallows its skin when it sheds it; for it is a remedy for epilepsy.
Καὶ ὁ ἔλαφος τὸ δεξιὸν κατορύττει κέρας, πρός τε τὰ τῆς φρύνης φάρμακα καὶ πρὸς ἄλλα πολλὰ χρήσιμον.
And the stag buries its right horn, which is useful both against the poisons of the toad and for many other purposes.
Καὶ ἡ ἵππος ἀπεσθίει τῶν πώλων τὸ ἱππομανές· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο πρὸς ἔνια χρήσιμον.
And the mare bites off and eats the hippomanes from her foals; for this too is useful for certain things.
Καὶ ἡ φώκη ὅταν μέλλῃ ἁλίσκεσθαι ἐξεμεῖ τὴν πιτύαν, χρησιμεύουσαν καὶ ταύτην τοῖς ἐπιλήπτοις.
And the seal, when it is about to be caught, vomits up its rennet, this too being useful for epileptics.
Καὶ ὁ χερσαῖος ἐχῖνος ἐνουρεῖ τῷ δέρματι καὶ διαφθείρει.
And the land hedgehog urinates on its skin and ruins it.
Καὶ ἡ λὺγξ κατακρύπτει τὸ οὖρον ὅτι πρὸς τὰς σφραγῖδας καὶ πρὸς ἄλλας χρείας ἐπιτήδειον·
And the lynx conceals its urine because it is suitable for signets and other uses.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὲν οὐ διὰ φθόνον ταῦτα ποιεῖ τὰ ζῶα ἀλλʼ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ὑπολήψεως ταύτην αὐτοῖς περιῆψαν τὴν αἰτίαν παντὶ δῆλον.
But that the animals do not do these things out of envy, but that humans out of their own assumption have attached this cause to them, is clear to everyone.
Πόθεν γὰρ τοῖς ἀλόγοις ἡ τοσαύτη σοφία ἣν καὶ οἱ λογικοὶ μετὰ συχνῆς μελέτης μανθάνουσιν;
For whence could such wisdom belong to irrational creatures, which even rational ones learn only after constant study?
ἀλλʼ ἡ μὲν φώκη διὰ τὸν φόβον ἴσως ταραττομένη ἐμεῖ τὴν πιτύαν· καὶ ὁ γαλεώτης καταπίνει τὸ δέρμα φυσικόν τι ποιῶν πάθος, καθάπερ αἱ κύνες καὶ αἱ ὕες καὶ σχεδὸν τὰ τετράποδα πάντα· κατεσθίει γὰρ τὰ χόρια μετὰ τοὺς τόκους· καὶ ὁ ἐχῖνος δὲ διὰ φόβον ἢ διʼ ἄλλο τι πάθος φυσικὸν ἐνουρεῖ ἀλλ' οὐχ ἴνα φθείρῃ τὸ δέρμα.
Rather, the seal, perhaps disturbed by fear, vomits its rennet; and the spotted lizard swallows its skin performing a certain natural affection, just as dogs and pigs and almost all quadrupeds do, for they devour the afterbirth after giving birth; and the hedgehog urinates because of fear or some other natural affection, and not in order to ruin its skin.
Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πράττεται τοῖς ἀλόγοις ὧν οὐκ ἔχομεν λόγον ἀποδοῦναι· οἷον διὰ τί ἡ ὄρνις ὅταν τέκῃ περιρρίπτει τὰ κάρφη· διὰ τί οἱ κύνες ἐπαίροντες τὰ σκέλη προσουροῦσι διὰ τί ἡ αἲξ ὅταν λάβῃ τὸ ἠρύγγιον εἰς τὸ στόμα μένει καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἵστασθαι ποιεῖ.
And many other things are done by irrational creatures for which we cannot give an explanation; for instance, why the bird, when it has laid eggs, scatters twigs around; why dogs urinate raising their legs; why the goat, when it takes eryngium into its mouth, stands still and makes the others stop.
Καὶ τὸ τῆς λυγγὸς οὖν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐλάφου ὁ αὐτὸς κατάλογος περιέξει.
Therefore, both the case of the lynx's urine and that of the stag's horn will be included in the same category.