Chapter XXXVI: Book X: The Natural History of Birds (17)

[3099] Or rather, will produce chickens hideously deformed. This trick is sometimes practised among the country people against those to whom they owe a grudge.

[3100] Aristotle says with a straw mat.

[3101] Similar, probably, to our bantam.

[3102] In consequence, probably, of their smallness, and want of sufficient warmth.

[3103] The pip.

[3104] Meaning the “urine-egg.”

[3105] Or “wind” eggs. See cc. 75 and 80.

[3106] The white heron.

[3107] So called from its soaring towards the stars.

[3108] The tawny or black heron.

[3109] Possibly the night-hawk. Sillig says, that in the corresponding passage of Aristotle it is αἰτώλιος.

[3110] “Dog’s-urine.” See the last Chapter.

[3111] Hardouin asserts that this is the fact.

[3112] This is probably fabulous.

[3113] B. vii. c. 4.

[3114] Justly called by Juvenal, “meretricem Augustam,” Sat. vi. l. 118.

[3115] B. viii. c. 54.

[3116] Probably the goldfinch.

[3117] A kind of large hound.

[3118] The number that they bear.

[3119] See B. viii. c. 81.

[3120] B. viii. c. 10, and in the present Chapter.

[3121] B. vii. c. 13.

[3122] Aristotle, Hist. Anim. B. vi. c. 37, does not quite say this. He says that the young ones looked “as if” they were pregnant, οἷον κύοντα.

[3123] Ovid, Met. B. xv. l. 389, makes mention of this belief.

[3124] See the following Book.

[3125] Known by us as the razor-sheath.

[3126] Martial alludes to these fish-preserves, and the fish coming upon hearing their name, B. iv. Ep. 30, and B. x. Ep. 30.

[3127] A species of origanum.

[3128] As in the case of the galgulus, mentioned in c. 50.

[3129] See c. 33 of the present Book, as to quails.

[3130] As to these monkies, see B. xviii. c. 30, and c. 80.

[3131] _I. e._ lay by a store.

[3132] B. viii. c. 34.

[3133] Probably the ermine. See B. viii. c. 55.

[3134] Pliny alludes to dogs, cats, and similar mammifera, as having _serrated_ teeth; the term, however, is quite inappropriate.

[3135] See B. viii. c. 79.

[3136] Probably the chlorion of c. 45.

[3137] Supposed to be the golden-crested wren.

[3138] An insect. See B. xi. c. 42, if, indeed, this is the same that is there mentioned, which is somewhat doubtful.

[3139] It is not known what bird is meant: perhaps the titmouse.

[3140] A kind of hawk or falcon.

[3141] Species unknown.

[3142] Probably the spring wag-tail.

[3143] In B. viii. c. 22.

[3144] Aristotle, Hist. Anim. B. iv. c. 10, maintains the contrary. But in B. vii. he asserts that infants do dream.

[3145] See Lucretius, B. iv. l. 914, _et seq._

[3146] M. Manilius, mentioned in c. 2. Nothing certain is known of him, but by some he is supposed to have been the senator and jurisconsult of that name, contemporary with the younger Scipio. The astronomical poem which goes under his name was probably written at a much later period.

[3147] See end of B. iii.

[3148] See end of B. v.

[3149] A famous soothsayer, who predicted to Galba, as we learn from Tacitus, the dangers to which he was about to be exposed. He wrote on the science of Divination, as practised by the Etruscans.

[3150] See end of B. vii.

[3151] A Roman legislator, proconsul of Gallia Narbonensis, and long a favourite of Augustus. According to Aulus Gellius, his works were very numerous. He also wrote a treatise on the Etruscan divination.

[3152] Trogus Pompeius. See end of B. vii.

[3153] See end of B. vii.

[3154] See end of B. ii.

[3155] See end of B. ix.

[3156] See end of B. vii.

[3157] See end of B. ii.

[3158] See end of B. ii.

[3159] He was the most ancient writer of Roman history in prose. His history, which was written in Greek, is supposed to have commenced with the arrival of Æneas in Italy, and to have come down to his own time. He was sent by the Romans to consult the oracle at Delphi, after the battle of Cannæ.

[3160] The famous poet and writer on the Epicurean philosophy. He was born B.C. 98, and slew himself B.C. 54.

[3161] See end of B. vii.

[3162] Q. Horatius Flaccus, one of the greatest Roman poets.

[3163] Nothing is known of this writer; indeed, the correct reading is a matter of doubt.

[3164] See end of B. iii.

[3165] Father and son, who wrote treatises on agriculture, as we learn from Columella.

[3166] See end of B. vi.

[3167] A writer on agriculture, mentioned by Columella.

[3168] A priestess of Delphi, said to have been the inventor of hexameter verse. Servius identifies her with the Cumæan Sibyl. Pliny quotes from her in c. 8, probably from some work on augury attributed to her. A work in MS. entitled “Orneosophium,” or “Wisdom of Birds,” is attributed to Phemonoë. She is said to have been the first to pronounce the celebrated Γνῶθι σεαυτὸν, commonly attributed to Thales.

[3169] An Athenian comic poet of the New Comedy, born either at Soli in Cilicia, or at Syracuse. Plautus has imitated several of his plays.

[3170] Nothing is known of this writer, who wrote a poem on ornithology, as here stated. Athenæus is doubtful whether the writer was a poet, Bœus, or a poetess, Bœo.

[3171] Nothing is known of this writer.

[3172] See end of B. ii.

[3173] See end of B. iii.

[3174] See end of B. iv.

[3175] The Greek tragic poet of Athens, several of whose plays still exist.

[3176] See end of B. viii.

[3177] King Attalus III. See end of B. viii.

[3178] See end of B. viii.

[3179] See end of B. viii.

[3180] See end of B. viii.

[3181] See end of B. viii.

[3182] See end of B. viii.

[3183] See end of B. viii.

[3184] See end of B. viii.

[3185] See end of B. viii.

[3186] See end of B. viii.

[3187] See end of B. viii.

[3188] See end of B. vi.

[3189] See end of B. viii.

[3190] See end of B. viii.

[3191] See end of B. viii.

[3192] See end of B. ii.

[3193] See end of B. viii.

[3194] See end of B. ii.

[3195] Of this writer nothing whatever seems to be known.

[3196] See end of B. viii.

[3197] See end of B. v.

[3198] See end of B. viii.

[3199] See end of B. viii.

[3200] See end of B. viii.

[3201] Cassius Dionysius of Utica, flourished B.C. 40. He condensed the twenty-eight books of Mago into twenty, and dedicated them to the Roman prætor Sextilius.

[3202] See end of B. viii.

[3203] See end of B. viii.

[3204] See end of B. ii.

[3205] See end of B. vii.

[3206] See end of B. vii.

END OF VOL. II.

ERRATA IN VOL. I.

Page vii. line 31, _for_ Coisicius, _read_ Cossicius.
„ xvii. „ 15, _for_ pepole, _read_ people.
„ xviii. „ 30, _for_ Fabulosetas, _read_ Fabulositas.
„ 378, „ 20, _for_ Goat-Pens, _read_ Goat-Pans.

Transcriber’s Notes:—

The footnotes for each of the six volumes have been renumbered, the references to notes in other volumes have been changed accordingly.