Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §183.1

Mating Habits and Daily Timing of Wild Roosters

Passage 189 of 196 · Greek

Summary

The text presents Theophrastus's view that wild roosters are more prone to mating than domestic ones, and that males and females desire to mate at different times of the day.

§183.1Fr. 183 Ὁ δὲ Θ. τοὺς ἀγρίους ἀλεκτρυόνας φησὶν ὀχευτικωτέρους εἶναι τῶν ἡμέρων.
Fr. 183 And Theophrastus says that wild roosters are more prone to mating than domestic ones.
Λέγει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄρρενας εὐθὺς ἐξ εὐνῆς ἐθέλειν πλησιάζειν, τὰς δὲ θηλείας προβαινούσης μᾶλλον τῆς ἡμέρας.
He also says that the males want to mate immediately upon leaving their nests, whereas the females want to do so when the day is further advanced.

Notes

  1. §183.1τῶν ἡμέρων — Genitive of comparison depending on the comparative ὀχευτικωτέρους, contrasting the domestic roosters (τῶν ἡμέρων) with the wild ones (ἀγρίους ἀλεκτρυόνας).
  2. §183.1τὰς δὲ θηλείας προβαινούσης μᾶλλον τῆς ἡμέρας — The accusative τὰς δὲ θηλείας serves as the subject of the implied infinitive phrase ἐθέλειν πλησιάζειν, in parallel with τοὺς ἄρρενας. The phrase προβαινούσης μᾶλλον τῆς ἡμέρας is a genitive absolute expressing the time when the action occurs ("as the day is further advanced").

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §183.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:183.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.