Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §180.1

Physical Characteristics and Habits of Ground-Dwelling Birds

Passage 186 of 196 · Greek

Summary

The author quotes Theophrastus, the disciple of Aristotle, who explains the physical characteristics and habits of ground-dwelling birds like pheasants, noting that they are short-bodied, poor fliers, but immediately able to walk upon hatching.

§180.1Fr. 180 Θ. δὲ ὁ Ἐρέσιος Ἀριστοτέλους μαθητὴς ἐν τρίτῃ περὶ ζώων μνημονεύων αὐτῶν οὑτωσί πως λέγει· ἔστι καὶ τοῖς ὄρνισι τοιαύτη διαφορά· τὰ μὲν γὰρ βραχέα καὶ μὴ πτητικὰ καθάπερ ἀτταγὴν πέρδιξ, ἀλεκτρυὼν, φασιανὸς εὐθὺς βαδιστικὰ καὶ δασέα.
Fr. 180 Theophrastus of Eresus, the disciple of Aristotle, in the third book of *On Animals*, mentioning them, says something like this: "There is also such a difference among birds; for those that are short and not apt at flying, such as the francolin, the partridge, the cock, and the pheasant, are immediately able to walk and are covered with down."

Notes

  1. §180.1Θ. — An abbreviation for the proper name Θεόφραστος (Theophrastus).
  2. §180.1αὐτῶν — Genitive plural pronoun. It refers back to the "pheasants" (φασιανοί) mentioned in the preceding fragment, or generally to "birds."
  3. §180.1εὐθὺς βαδιστικὰ καὶ δασέα — The adverb εὐθύς (immediately) directly modifies the adjective βαδιστικά (able to walk), describing the precocial (nidifugous) nature of these birds being able to walk right after hatching. δασέα (shaggy/downy) similarly describes their state at birth, with the copula ἐστίν omitted.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §180.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:180.1

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