There is a fish, too, called the mænis, or sprat; and Icesius says that they are more juicy than the tench, but that they are inferior in delicacy of flavour, and also in the extent to which they facilitate the secretions of the stomach. But Speusippus, in the second book of his treatise on Things similar to one another, says that both the boax and the smaris resemble the sprat; and these two fishes, are mentioned by Epicharmus, in his Earth and Sea, in the following manner:—When you see many boaces and smarides.And Epænetus, in his Cookery Book, says, “The smaris, which some people call cynoseuna.” But Antiphanes, in his Coun- tryman, or Butalion, calls the sprats the food of Hecate, on account of their diminutive size; and the following is the passage:—A. Why, I did think that all these monstrous fishWere cannibals.B. What can you mean, my friend?A. Why, cannibals: so how would any man eat them?B. That's true. But these are food of Hecate,Which he is speaking of, just sprats and mullets.There is also one kind which is called the leucomænis, or white sprat, which some people call the boax. Poliochus, in his Corinthiastes, says—Let no man, in God's name I beg, persuade you,Come when he will or whence, so to mistakeAs to call leucomænides boaces.
Μαινίδες. ταύτας φησὶν Ἱκέσιος εὐχυλοτέρας εἶναι τῶν κωβιῶν, λείπεσθαι δὲ εὐστομίᾳ καὶ τῷ πρὸς τὴν ἔκκρισιν τῆς κοιλίας συνεργεῖν. Σπεύσιππος δ’ ἐν δευτέρῳ Ὁμοίων ὅμοιά φησιν εἶναι τῇ μαινίδι βόακας καὶ σμαρίδας, ὧν μνημονεύειν καὶ ᾽ Ἐπίχαρμον ἐν Γᾷ καὶ Θαλάσσᾳ οὕτως· ὅκχ’ ὁρῇ βῶκάς τε πολλοὺς καὶ σμαρίδας. Ἐπαίνετος δ’ ἐν Ὀψαρτυτικῷ φησι· σμαρίδα, ἣν ἔνιοι καλοῦσι κυνὸς εὐναί. Ἀντιφάνης δ’ ἐν Ἀγροίκῳ ἢ Βουταλίωνι Ἑκάτης βρώματα καλεῖ τὰς μαινίδας διὰ τὴν βραχύτητα, λέγων οὕτως· τοὺς γὰρ μεγάλους τούτους ἅπαντας νενόμικα ἀνθρωποφάγους ἰχθῦς. β. τί φής, ὦ φίλτατε, ἀνθρωποφάγους; πῶς; γ. οὓς ἂν ἄνθρωπος φάγοι δηλονότι· ταῦτα δ’ ἐστὶν Ἑκάτης βρώματα, ἅ φησιν οὗτος, μαινίδας καὶ τριγλίδας. καλοῦνται δέ τινες καὶ λευκομαινίδες, ἃς ἔνιοι βόακας ὀνομάζουσι. Πολίοχος Κορινθιαστῇ· ὅπως σε πείσῃ μηδὲ ]δὲ εἷς, πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, τοὺς βόακας, ἄν ποτ’ ἔλθῃ, λευκομαινίδας καλεῖν.
There is also the melanurus, or black-tail; and concerning this fish Numenius says, in his Art of Fishing:—The scorpion or melanurus black,The guide and leader of the perch,But Icesius says that he is very like the sargus, but that he is inferior to the latter in the quantity and quality of his juice, and also in delicacy of flavour; but that he is rather exciting food, and very nutritious. And Epicharmus mentions him in his Hebe's Marriage:—There were sargini, there were melanuri.Aristotle too, in his treatise on Animals, writes thus: "There are some fish which have barred or spotted tails, among which are the melanuri, and the sargi or sardine; and they have many lines on their skin, dark lines. But Speusippus affirms, in the second book of his treatise on Things similar to one another, that the fish called psyrus resembles the melanurus; but Numenius calls the psyrus, psorus, with an o, saying—The psorus, or the salpe, or the dragon-fishWhich haunts the shore.
μελάνουρος. περὶ τούτου φησὶ Νουμήνιος ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ· σκορπίον ἢ πέρκαισι καθηγητὴν μελάνουρον Ἱκέσιος δ’ αὐτὸν σαργῷ φησιν παραπλήσιον εἶναι, καταδεέστερον δὲ τῇ εὐχυλίᾳ καὶ τῇ εὐστομίᾳ, μικρῶς δὲ παραστύφειν καὶ εἶναι τρόφιμον. μνημονεύει δ’ αὐτοῦ Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· ἦν δὲ σαργῖνοί τε μελάνουροί τε. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ζῳικῶν γράφει οὕτως· ὀρροπυγόστικτοι δὲ τῶν ἰχθύων μελάνουρος καὶ σαργὸς πολύγραμμοί τε καὶ μελανόγραμμοι. ὅμοιον δὲ εἶναι τῷ μελανούρῳ φησὶ Σπεύσιππος ἐν δευτέρῳ Ὁμοίων τὸν καλούμενον ψύρον· ἐν Νουμήνιος καλεῖ ψόρον οὕτως· ἢ ψόρον ἢ σάλπας ἢ αἰγιαλῆα δράκοντα.
There is also a fish called the mormyrus, a most nutritious fish, as Icesius says. But Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Marriage, calls it the myrmes, unless, at least, he means a different fish by this name. But his expression is—The sea-swallow, the myrmes too,And they are larger than the colias tunny.But Dorion, in his book upon Fishes, calls them mormylus, with a λ. But Lynceus of Samos, in his treatise on the Art of buying Fish, which he addressed to some friend of his, who was very difficult to please when making his purchases, says, "But it is not a useless plan, with reference to men who are obstinate, and who will not abate their price, when you are standing by to disparage their fish, quoting Archstratus (who wrote the book called The voluptuous Life), or some other poet, and repeating this verse:—The mormyrus that haunts the pebbly shore,Is a bad, good-for-nothing, worthless fish.And again you may quote—Buy an amia in the autumn....'But now 'tis spring.' And again you may proceed, if it should be the proper season—How good the cestreus is when winter comes.'But now,' you will say, ' it is summer.' And you will go on in this way for some time; and in this way you will drive away a good many of those who are standing about, and who might become purchasers. So when you have done this, you will by this means compel the man to take whatever price you choose to give."
μορμύρος. τροφιμώτατος, ὥς φησιν Ἱκέσιος. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ μύρμας αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει, εἰ μὴ διάφοροι τὴν φύσιν εἰσίν. γράφει δ’ οὕτως καὶ χελιδόνες τε μύρμαι θ᾽, οἵ τε κολιᾶν μέζονες ἐντί. Δωρίων δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύας μορμύλους αὐτοὺς καλεῖ. Λυγκεὺς δ’ ὁ Σάμιος ἐν τῇ ὀψωνητικῇ τέχνῃ, ἣν προσεφώνησέ τινι τῶν ἑταίρων δυσώνῃ, φησίνοὐκ ἄχρηστον δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀτενίζοντας καὶ μὴ συγκαθιέντας τῇ τιμῇ καὶ τὸ κακῶς λέγειν παρεστηκότα τοὺς ἰχθύας, ἐπαγόμενον Ἀρχέστρατον τὸν γράψαντα τὴν Ἡδυπάθειαν ἢ τῶν ἄλλων τινὰ ποιητῶν καὶ λέγοντα τὸ μέτρον μόρμυρος αἰγιαλεὺς κακὸς ἰχθὺς οὐδὲ ποτ’ ἐσθλός. καὶ τὴν ἀμίαν ὠνοῦ φθινοπώρου, νῦν δ’ ἐστὶν ἔαρ. καί· κεστρέα τὸν θαυμαστὸν ὅταν χειμὼν ἀφίκηται, νῦν δ’ ἐστὶ θέρος· καὶ πολλὰ τῶν τοιούτων, ἀποσοβήσεις γὰρ πολλοὺς τῶν ὠνουμένων καὶ προσεστηκότων τοῦτο δὲ ποιῶν ἀναγκάσεις τὸ σοὶ δοκοῦν λαβεῖν αὐτόν.
There is also the torpedo. Plato, or Cantharus, says, in the Alliance—A boil'd torpedo is delicious food.But Plato the Philosopher says, in the Meno, “You seem very much to resemble the sea-torpedo; for that fish causes any one who comes near it to become torpid.” And an allusion to the name occurs also in Homer, where he says—His hand was torpid (νάρκησε) at the wrist.But Menander, in his Phanus, uses the termination a, and says—A certain torpor (νάρκα) creeps o'er all my skin;though no one of the ancient writers ever used this form of the word. But Icesius says that it is a fish without much nutriment or much juice in it, but that it has some cartilaginous sort of substance diffused all over it, very good for the stomach. And Theophrastus, in his book on Animals which live in Holes, says that the torpedo works its way underground because of the cold. But in his treatise on Poisonous Animals, and on Animals which sting, he says that the torpedo can send the power which proceeds from it through wood, and through harpoons, so as to produce torpor in those who have them in their hands. But Clearchus the Solensian has explained the cause of this in his treatise on Torpor; but, since his explanation is rather a long one, I do not recollect his exact words, but will refer you to the treatise itself. But the torpedo, says Aristotle, is one of the cartilaginous and viviparous fish; and, to provide itself with food, it hunts after little fish, touching them, and causing them all to become torpid and motionless. And Diphilus of Laodicea, in his essay on the Theriaca of Nicander, says that it is not every part of the animal which produces this torpor, but only some particular parts of it; and he says that he has arrived at this fact by a long series of experiments. But Archestratus speaks of–A bold torpedo done in oil and wine,And fragrant herbs, and some thin grated cheese.Alexis, in his Galatea, says—I counsel you to season well and stuffTorpedos whole, and then to roast them thoroughly.And in his Demetrius he says—Then I took a torpedo, calculatingIf my wife touch'd it with her tender fingersThat they would get no hurt from its backbone. There is also the sword-fish. Aristotle says that this fish has its lower jaw short, but its upper one bony, long, and in fact as large as all the rest of the body of the fish; and this upper jaw is what is called the sword; but that this fish has no teeth. And Archestratus says—But take a slice of sword-fish when you goTo fair Byzantium, and take the vertebraeWhich bend his tail. He's a delicious fish,Both there and where the sharp Pelorian capeJuts out towards the sea.Now, who is then so great a general, or so great a critic in dishes and banquets, as this poet from Gela (or, I should rather say, from Catagela), who, for the sake of his epicurism, sailed through those straits; and who also, for the sake of the same epicurism, investigated the different qualities and juices of each separate part of every fish, as if he had been laying the foundation of some science which was useful to human life?
νάρκη. Πλάτων ἢ Κάνθαρος ἐν Συμμαχίᾳ· νάρκη γὰρ ἑφθὴ βρῶμα χάριεν γίγνεται. ὁ δὲ φιλόσοφος Πλάτων ἐν Μένωνί φησι· τῇ θαλαττίᾳ νάρκῃ· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη τὸν πλησιάζοντα ναρκᾶν ποιεῖ. ἡ δὲ κλῆσις αὐτῆς καὶ παρ᾽ Ὁμήρῳ· νάρκησε δὲ χεὶρ ἐπὶ καρπῷ. Μένανδρος δ’ ἐν Φανίῳ διὰ τοῦ α ἔφη· ὑπελήλυθὲν τέ μου νάρκα τις ὅλον τὸ δέρμα, μηδενὸς τῶν παλαιῶν οὕτω κεχρημένου. Ἱκέσιος δέ φησιν ἀτροφωτέραν καὶ ἀχυλοτέραν αὐτὴν εἶναι ἔχειν τε χονδρῶδές τι διακεχυμένον, εὐστόμαχον πάνυ. Θεόφραστος δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν φωλευόντων διὰ τὸ ψῦχός φησι τὴν νάρκην κατὰ γῆς δύεσθαι. ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ τῶν δακέτων καὶ βλητικῶν διαπέμπεσθαί φησι τὴν νάρκην τὴν ἀφ’ αὑτῆς δύναμιν καὶ διὰ τῶν ξύλων καὶ διὰ τῶν τριοδόντων, ποιοῦσαν ναρκᾶν τοὺς ἐν χεροῖν ἔχοντας. εἴρηκε δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν Κλέαρχος ὁ Σολεὺς ἐν τῷ περὶ νάρκης, ἅπερ μακρότερα ὄντα ἐπιλέλησμαι, ὑμᾶς δ’ ἐπὶ τὸ σύγγραμμα ἀναπέμπω, ἐστὶ δ’ ἡ νάρκη, ὥς φησιν Ἀριστοτέλης, τῶν σελαχωδῶν καὶ τῶν σκυμνοτοκούντων. θηρεύει δ’ εἰς τροφὴν ἑαυτῆς τὰ ἰχθύδια προσαπτομένη καὶ ναρκᾶν καὶ ἀκινητίζειν ποιοῦσα. Δίφιλος δ’ ὁ Λαοδικεὺς ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν Νικάνδρου Θηριακῶν μὴ πᾶν τὸ ζῷόν φησι τὴν νάρκην ἐμποιεῖν, μέρος δέ τι αὐτῆς, διὰ πείρας πολλῆς φάσκων ἐληλυθέναι, ὁ δ’ Ἀρχέστρατός φησι· καὶ νάρκην ἑφθὴν ἐν ἐλαίῳ ἠδὲ καὶ οἴνῳ καὶ χλόῃ εὐώδει καὶ βαιῷ ξύσματι τυροῦ, Ἄλεξις ἐν Γαλατείᾳ· νάρκην μὲν οὖν, ὥς φασιν, ὠνθυλευμένην ὀπτᾶν ὅλην. ἐν δὲ Δημητρίῳ· ἔπειτα νάρκην ἔλαβον, ἐνθυμούμενος ὅτι δεῖ γυναικὸς ἐπιφερούσης δακτύλους ἁπαλοὺς ὑπ’ ἀκάνθης μηδὲ ἓν τούτους παθεῖν ξιφίας, τοῦτον Ἀριστοτέλης φησὶν ἔχειν τοῦ ῥύγχους τὸ μὲν ὑποκάτω μικρόν, τὸ δὲ καθύπερθεν ὀστῶδες μέγα, ἴσον τῷ ὅλῳ αὐτοῦ μεγέθει· τοῦτο δὲ καλεῖσθαι ξίφος· ὀδόντας δ’ οὐκ ἔχειν τὸν ἰχθύν. Ἀρχέστρατος δέ φησιν ἀλλὰ λαβὲ ξιφίου τέμαχος Βυζάντιον ἐλθὼν οὐραίου γ’ αὐτὸν τὸν σφόνδυλον. ἐστὶ δὲ κεδνὸς κἀν πορθμῷ πρὸς ἄκραισι Πελωριάδος προβολαῖσι. τίς οὕτως τακτικὸς ἀκριβὴς ἢ τίς οὕτως κριτὴς ὄψων ὡς ὁ ἐκ Γέλας, μᾶλλον δὲ Καταγέλας οὗτος ποιητής; ὃς ἀκριβῶς οὕτως διὰ λιχνείαν καὶ τὸν πορθμὸν διέπλευσε καὶ τῶν μερῶν ἑκάστου τῶν ἰχθύων τὰς ποιότητας καὶ τοὺς χυμοὺς διὰ τὴν λιχνείαν ἐξήτασεν, ὥς τινα πραγματείαν βιωφελῆ καταβαλλόμενος.
There is also a fish called the orphos (ὄρφως); but the word is also spelt with an ο (ὄρφος), as Pamphilus tells us. But Aristotle, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals, where he says that the growth of most fish is very rapid, says, “The orphos also grows to a large fish from a little one with great rapidity; but he is a carnivorous fish, with serrated teeth, and of a solitary disposition. And there is this peculirity in him, that it cannot be ascertained what means he has of propagating his species, and that he can live a long time after he has been cut in pieces. He is also one of those fish which bury themselves in holes during the winter season, and he is fond of keeping close to the land, rather than of going into the deep sea; but he does not live more than two years. And Numenius, speaking of this fish, says—Now with such baits as these it is not hardTo draw the lengthy scorpion from his bed,Or the rough orphus: for they're easily caught.And in another place he says—The grayling, or the sea-born race of orphi,Or the dark flesh'd sea-blackbird.But Dorion says that the young orphus is called by some the orphacines. And Archippus says, in his Fishes,—The orphus came to them, the priest o' the god.And Cratinus says, in his Ulysses,—A hot slice of the newly taken orphus.And Plato, in his Cleophon, says—For he has brought you here, old dame, to dwell,A rotten food for orphi and for phagri,And other gristly boneless fish around.And Aristophanes, in his Wasps, says—If a man be inclined to purchase orphi,And likes to leave alone the membrades.Now this word ὀρφὼς, in the nominative case singular, is accented with an acute on the ultima by the Attic writers; so Archippus writes the word, in his Fishes, in the lines which I have already quoted; and Cratinus also, in his Uysses, as I have above quoted it, writes—τέμαχος ὀρφὼ χλιαρόν.
ὀρφῶς. καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ὀρφός, ὡς Πάμφιλος. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων ταχεῖαν λέγων γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἰχθύσι τὴν αὔξησιν, καὶ ὀρφώς, φησίν ἐκ μικροῦ γίνεται μέγας ταχέως, ἐστὶ δὲ καὶ σαρκοφάγος καὶ καρχαρόδους, ἔτι δὲ καὶ μονήρης, ἴδιον δ’ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστι τὸ τοὺς θορικοὺς πόρους μὴ εὑρίσκεσθαι καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι πολὺν χρόνον ζῆν μετὰ τὴν ἀνατομήν. ἐστὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν φωλευόντων ἐν ταῖς χειμεριωτάταις ἡμέραις χαίρει τε πρόσγειος μᾶλλον ὢν ἢ πελάγιος. ζῇ δ’ οὐ πλέον δύο ἐτῶν. μνημονεύων δ’ αὐτοῦ Νουμήνιός φησι· τοῖσί κεν εὐμαρέως θαλάμης ἄπο μακρὸν ἀείροις σκορπίον ἢ ὀρφὸν περιτρηχέα· τῶν γάρ ἐπ’ ἄκρης … καὶ πάλιν γλαύκους ἢ ὀρφῶν ἔναλον γένος ἠὲ μελάγχρουν κόσσυφον. Δωρίων δὲ τὸν νέον φησὶν ὀρφὸν ὑπ’ ἐνίων καλεῖσθαι ὀρφακίνην. Ἄρχιππος δ’ ἐν Ἰχθύσιν ἱερεὺς γὰρ ἦλθ’ αὐτοῖσιν ὀρφώς του θεῶν. Κρατῖνος δ’ Ὀδυσσεῦσι· τέμαχος ὀρφὼ χλιαρόν. Πλάτων Κλεοφῶντι· σὲ γάρ, γραῦ, συγκατῴκισεν σαπρὰν ὀρφῷσι σελαχίοις τε καὶ φάγροις βοράν. Ἀριστοφάνης Σφηξὶν ἢν μὲν ὠνῆταί τις ὀρφώς, μεμβράδας δὲ μὴ ᾽θέλῃ. τὴν μέντοι ἑνικὴν εὐθεῖαν ὀξυτόνως προφέρονται Ἀττικοί. Ἄρχιππος Ἰχθύσιν, ὡς πρόκειται, τὴν δὲ γενικὴν Κρατῖνος Ὀδυσσεῦσι· τέμαχος ὀρφὼ χλιαρόν.
There is also a fish called orcynus. Dorion, in his treatise on Fishes, says that the orcyni come from the sea near the Pillars of Hercules to the: waters on our costs; on which account, a great number are taken in the Iberian and Tyrrhenian seas; and that from thence they are dispersed over the rest of the sea. But Icesius says that those which are caught near Cadiz are the fattest, and next to them those which are taken near Sicily. But that those which are taken at any great distance from the Pillars of Hercules have very little fat on them, because they have swum a very great distance. Accordingly, at Cadiz, it is only the shoulders by themselves which are dried and cured; as also it is only the jaws and palate of the sturgeon, and that part which is called the melandryas, which is cured. But Icesius says that the entrails are very rich, and very different in flavour from the other parts; and that the parts about the shoulders are superior even to these.
Ὄρκυνος. Δωρίων ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων τοὺς ὀρκύνους ἐκ τῆς περὶ ʽ Ἡρακλέους στήλας θαλάσσης περαιουμένους εἰς τὴν καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἔρχεσθαι θάλασσαν διὸ καὶ πλείστους ἁλίσκεσθαι ἐν τῷ Ἰβηρικῷ καὶ Τυρρηνικῷ πελάγει· κἀντεῦθεν κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην θάλασσαν διασκίδνασθαι. Ἱκέσιος δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐν Γαδείροις ἁλισκομένους πιμελεστέρους εἶναι, μετὰ δὲ τούτους τοὺς ἐν Σικελίᾳ. τοὺς δὲ πόρρω ʽ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν ἀλιπεῖς διὰ τὸ πλείονα τόπον ἐκνενῆχθαι. ἐν Γαδείροις μὲν οὖν τὰ κλειδία καθ’ αὑτὰ ταριχεύεται, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἀντακαίων αἱ γνάθοι καὶ οὐρανίσκοι καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι μελανδρύαι ἐξ αὐτῶν ταριχεύονται. Ἱκέσιος δέ φησι τὰ ὑπογάστρια αὐτῶν λιπαρὰ ὑπάρχοντα τῇ εὐστομίᾳ πολὺ διαλλάσσειν τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν, τὰ δὲ κλειδία εὐστομώτερα εἶναι τούτων.
There is also the cod and the hake. The cod, says Aristotle, in his work on Living Animals, has a large wide mouth like the shark, and he is not a gregarious fish; and he is the only fish which has his heart in his stomach, and in his brain he has stones like millstones. And he is the only fish who buries himself in a hole in the hot weather, when the Dog-star rages; for all others take to their holes in the winter season. And these fish are mentioned by Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding:—And there are channel with their large wide mouths,And cod with their huge bellies.But the cod is different from the hake, as Dorion tells us, in his work upon Fish, where he writes thus: “The ὄνος (cod), which some call γάδος.” There is also the gallerides, which some call a hake, and some a maxinus. But Euthydemus, in his work on Cured Fish, says, “Some call this fish the bacchus, and some call it the gelaria, and some call it the hake.” But Archestratus says—Anthedon's famous for its cod, which someDo call gallerias; there its size is great,But the flesh spongy, and in many respectsI do not think it good, though others praise it.But this man likes one thing, and that another.
ὄνος· καὶ ὀνίσκος. ὄνος, φησὶν Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν τῷ περὶ ζωικῶν, ἔχει στόμα ἀνερρωγὸς ὁμοίως τοῖς γαλεοῖς· καὶ οὐ συναγελαστικός. καὶ μόνος οὗτος ἰχθύων τὴν καρδίαν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ἔχει καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐγκεφάλῳ λίθους ἐμφερεῖς μύλαις. φωλεύει τε μόνος ἐν ταῖς ὑπὸ κύνα θερμοτάταις ἡμέραις, τῶν ἄλλων ταῖς χειμεριωτάταις φωλευόντων. μνημονεύει δ’ αὐτῶν Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· μεγαλοχάσμονάς τε χάννας κἠκτραπελογάστορας ὄνους. διαφέρει δ’ ὄνος ὀνίσκου, ὥς φησι Δωρίων ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων γράφων οὕτως· ὄνος, ὃν καλοῦσί τινες γάδον· γαλλερίας, ὃν καλοῦσί τινες ὀνίσκον τε καὶ μάξεινον. Εὐθύδημος δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ταρίχων οἱ μὲν βάκχον, φησί, καλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ γελαρίην, οἱ δὲ ὀνίσκον. Ἀρχέστρατος δέ φησι· τὸν δ’ ὄνον Ἀνθηδών, ὁ τὸν καλλαρίαν καλέουσιν, ἐκτρέφει εὐμεγέθη, σομφὴν δ’ ἄρ’ ἔχει τινὰ σάρκα κἄλλως οὐχ ἡδεῖαν ἔμοιγ᾽, ἄλλοι δὲ λίην νιν αἰνοῦσιν· χαίρει γὰρ ὁ μὲν τούτοις, ὁ δ’ ἐκείνοις.
There is the polypus, declined πολύπους, πολύποδος; at least this is the way the Attic writers use the word, and so does Homer:—As when a polypus (πουλύποδος in the genitive) is dragged from out his lair:keeping the analogy to the noun ποὺς, from which it is de- rived. But in the accusative case we find the form πολύπουν, just as we Ἀλκίνουν and οἰδίπουν. Aeschylus, too, has the form τρίπουν, as an epithet of a caldron, in his Athamas, from ποὺς, as if it were a simple noun like νοῦς. But the form πώλυπος is Aeolic. For the Attics always say πολύπους. Aristophanes, in his Dædalus, says—When then I had this polypus (πουλύπους) and cuttle-fish.And in another place he says—He put before me a polypus (πουλύπουν).And in another place he has—They are the blows of a polypus press'd tight.And Alcæus says, in his Adulterous Sisters,—The man's a fool and has the mind of a polypus (πουλύποδος).But Ameipsias, in his Glutton, says—I want, it seems, a heap of polypi (πουλύπων).And Plato, in his Boy, writes—First of all you like the polypodes (τοὺς πουλύποδας).Alcæus in another passage says—I myself eat like any polypus (πουλύπους).But others use the accusative case πολύποδα, in strict analogy with ποὺς, ποδὸς, ποδὶ, πόδα. Eupolis, in his Demi, has—The man's a fellow-citizen of mine,A very polypus in disposition.
πουλύπους. πουλύποδος. οὕτως φασὶν οἱ Ἀττικοί ὡς καὶ Ὅμηρος· ὡς δ’ ὅτε πουλύποδος θαλάμης ἐξελκομένοιο ἀνάλογον παρὰ τὸ ποὺς γάρ γέγονεν. τὴν δὲ αἰτιατικὴν πουλύπουν φασίν, ὡς Ἀλκίνουν καὶ Οἰδίπουν. καὶ τρίπουν δὲ λέβητα Αἰσχύλον εἰρηκέναι ἐν Ἀθάμαντι ἀπὸ ἁπλοῦ τοῦ ποὺς ὡς νοῦς. τὸ δὲ πώλυπον λέγειν Αἰολικὸν· Ἀττικοὶ γὰρ πουλύπουν λέγουσιν. Ἀριστοφάνης Δαιδάλῳ· καὶ ταῦτ’ ἔχοντα πουλύπους καὶ σηπίας. καὶ πάλιν τὸν πουλύπουν μοι ἔθηκε. καὶ πάλιν πληγαὶ λέγονται πουλύπου πιλουμένου. Ἀλκαῖος Ἀδελφαῖς μοιχευομέναις· ἠλίθιον εἶναι νοῦν τε πουλύποδος ἔχειν. Ἀμειψίας Κατεσθίοντι· δεῖ μέν, ὡς ἔοικε, πολλῶν πουλύπων. Πλάτων Παιδίῳ, ὥσπερ τοὺς πουλύποδας πρώτιστα σέ. Ἀλκαῖος· ἔδω δ’ ἐμαυτὸν ὡς πουλύπους. οἱ δὲ πουλύποδα προφέρονται ἀνάλογον τῷ ποὺς ποδὸς ποδὶ πόδα. Εὔπολις Δήμοις· ἀνὴρ πολίτης πουλύπους ἐς τοὺς τρόπους.
Diocles, in the first book of his treatise on Wholesome Things, says—“The molluscous fish are calculated to give pleasure, and to excite the amorous propensities; especially the polypi (οἱ πολύποδες).” And Aristotle relates that the polypus has eight feet, of which the two highest and the two lowest are the smallest, and those in the middle are the largest; and they have also two feelers, with which they bring their food to their mouth. And they have their eyes placed above their two upper feet; and their mouth and teeth are between their feet. And when the polypus is dissected, he has a brain divided into two parts; and what is called his ink is not black, like the cuttle-fish, but of a reddish colour, in that part of him which is called the poppy; but the poppy lies above the stomach, like a bladder: and it has no intestines, like other fish. But for food it uses at times the flesh of small shell-fish, and casts the shells outside its body; by which the hunters know where to find it. And it propagates its species by becoming intertwined with the female, and is a long time about it, because it is destitute of blood: and it ejects its young through the orifice which is called the spiracle, which is the only passage for its body; and it lays eggs in clusters, like bunches of grapes.
Διοκλῆς δ’ ἐν α# Ὑγιεινῶν τὰ δὲ μαλάκια, φησί, πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἀφροδίσια· μάλιστα δὲ οἱ πουλύποδες. ἱστορεῖ δ’ Ἀριστοτέλης τὸν πολύποδα ἔχειν πόδας ὀκτώ, ὧν τοὺς μὲν ἄνω δύο καὶ κάτω ἐλαχίστους, τοὺς δ’ ἐν μέσῳ μεγίστους ἔχειν δὲ καὶ κοτυληδόνας δύο, αἷς τὴν τροφὴν προσάγεσθαι· τοὺς δ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπάνω τῶν ἄνω δύο ποδῶν τὸ δὲ στόμα καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐν μέσοις τοῖς ποσί. ἀναπτυχθεὶς δὲ ἐγκέφαλον ἔχει διμερῆ, ἔχει δὲ καὶ τὸν λεγόμενον θόλον, οὐ μέλανα καθάπερ σηπία ἀλλ’ ὑπέρυθρον, ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ μήκωνι. ὁ δὲ μήκων κεῖται ἐπάνω τῆς κοιλίας οἱονεὶ κύστις. σπλάγχνον δ’ οὐκ ἔχει ἀναλογοῦν. τροφῇ δὲ χρῆται ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ τοῖς τῶν κογχυλίων σαρκιδίοις, τὰ ὄστρακα ἐκτὸς τῶν θαλαμῶν ῥίπτων ὅθεν διαγινώσκουσιν οἱ θηρεύοντες. ὀχεύει δὲ συμπλεκόμενος καὶ πολὺν χρόνον πλησιάζει διὰ τὸ ἄναιμος εἶναι. τίκτει δὲ διὰ τοῦ λεγομένου φυσητῆρος, ὅς ἐστι πόρος τῷ σώματι, καὶ τίκτει ᾠὰ βοτρυδόν.
They say, also, that the polypus, when it is in want of food, will eat even itself. And among those who relate this fact is Pherecrates the comic poet; for he, in the play entitled The Countryman, says—They live on green anthrysca, and on bracana,And snails and slugs. And when they're very hungry,Then, like the polypus, they e'en at nightNibble their fingers.And Diphilus, in his Merchant, says—A polypus with all his feelersAnd limbs unhurt; whose wicked toothHas not devour'd himself, my friend,Is ready for our supper.But all this is a mistake; for the fact is, that he is pursued by the congers, and has his feet hurt in that manner. And it is said that if any one strews salt over his hole, he immediately comes out. It is also affirmed, that when he flies in alarm, he changes his colour, and becomes like the places in which he conceals himself. As also Theognis of Megara says, in his Elegies—Remark the tricks of that most wary polypus,Who always seems of the same colour and hueAs is the rock near which he lies.And Clearchus makes a similar statement in the second book of his treatise on Proverbs, where he quotes the following lines, without saying from whose writings they come—My son, my excellent Amphilochus,Copy the shrewd device o' the polypus,And make yourself as like as possibleTo those whose land you chance to visit.
λέγουσι δὲ καὶ ὡς ἂν ἀπορήσῃ τροφῆς αὑτὸν κατεσθίει. ὧν εἷς ἐστι καὶ ὁ κωμῳδιοποιὸς Φερεκράτης. οὗτος γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιγραφομένοις Ἀγρίοις φησίν ἐνθρύσκοισι καὶ βρακάνοις καὶ στραβήλοις ζῆν ὁπόταν δ᾽ ἤδη πεινῶσιν σφόδρα … ὡσπερεὶ τοὺς πουλύποδας … νύκτωρ περιτρώγειν αὑτῶν τοὺς δακτύλους; καὶ Δίφιλος ἐν Ἐμπόρῳ· πουλύπους ἔχων ἁπάσας ὁλομελεῖς τὰς πλεκτάνας. β. οὐ περιβεβρωκὼς αὑτόν ἐστι, φίλτατε. τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶ ψεῦδος. ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν γόγγρων διωκόμενος τοὺς πόδας ἀδικεῖται., λέγεται δ’ ὡς, ἄν τις ταῖς θαλάμαις αὐτοῦ ἅλας ὑποσπείρῃ, εὐθέως ἐξέρχεται. ἱστορεῖται δὲ καὶ ὅτι φεύγων διὰ τὸν φόβον μεταβάλλει τὰς χρόας καὶ ἐξομοιοῦται τοῖς τόποις ἐν οἷς κρύπτεται, ὡς καὶ ὁ Μεγαρεὺς Θέογνίς φησιν ἐν ταῖς ἐλεγείαις· πουλύπου ὀργὴν ἴσχε πολυπλόκου, ὃς ποτὶ πέτρῃ τῇ προσομιλήσῃ τοῖος ἰδεῖν ἐφάνη. ὁμοίως ἱστορεῖ καὶ Κλέαρχος ἐν δευτέρῳ περὶ παροιμιῶν παρατιθέμενος τάδε τὰ ἔπη, οὐ δηλῶν ὅτου ἐστί· πουλύποδός μοι, τέκνον, ἔχων νόον, Ἀμφίλοχ᾽ ἥρως, τοῖσιν ἐφαρμόζου τῶν κεν κατὰ δῆμον ἵκηαι.
And the same Clearchus says that, in olden time, about Trœzen, it was considered impious to try to catch either the polypus, which was called sacred, or that one which was called the rower. And it was contrary to law to eat either that or the sea-tortoise. But the polypus is a fish very apt to decay, and also very stupid; for it goes towards the hand of the people who are pursuing it: and sometimes even when it is pursued, it does not attempt to get out of the way. Their females waste away after laying their eggs, and get powerless; by reason of which they are easily taken. And sometimes they have been seen leaving the sea, and going on dry land, especially towards any rough or rugged ground; for they shun smooth places: and of all plants they especially delight in the olive, and they are often found embracing the trunk of an olive with their feelers. They have also been discovered clinging to such fig-trees as grow near the seashore, and eating the figs, as Clearchus tells us, in his treatise on those Animals which live in the Water. And this also is a proof that they are fond of the olive,—that if any one drops a branch of this tree down into the sea, in a place where there are polypi, and holds it there a little time, he without any trouble draws up as many polypi as he pleases, clinging to the branch. And all their other parts are exceedingly strong, but their neck is weak.
περὶ δὲ Τροιζῆνα τὸ παλαιόν, φησὶν ὁ αὐτὸς Κλέαρχος, οὔτε τὸν ἱερὸν καλούμενον πουλύπουν οὔτε τὸν κωπηλάτην πουλύπουν νόμιμον ἦν θηρεύειν, ἀλλ’ ἀπεῖπον τούτων τε καὶ τῆς θαλαττίας χελώνης μὴ ἅπτεσθαι. ὁ δὲ πουλύπους ἐστὶ συντηκτικὸς καὶ λίαν ἀνόητος· πρὸς γὰρ τὴν χεῖρα τῶν διωκόντων βαδίζει καὶ διωκόμενος ἔστιν ὅτε οὐχ ὑποχωρεῖ, συντήκονται δ’ αὐτῶν αἱ θήλειαι μετὰ τὸν τόκον καὶ παρίενται διὸ καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἁλίσκονται. ἑωράθησαν δέ ποτε καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ξηρὸν ἐξιόντες, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τὰ τραχέα τῶν χωρίων φεύγουσι γὰρ τὰ λεῖα. καὶ χαίρουσι δὲ τῶν φυτῶν ταῖς ἐλαίαις καὶ πολλάκις εὑρίσκονται ταῖς πλεκτάναις περιειληφότες τὸ στέλεχος. ἐφωράθησαν δὲ καὶ συκέαις προσπεφυκυίαις τῇ θαλάσσῃ προσπλεκόμενοι καὶ τῶν σύκων ἐσθίοντες, ὥς φησι Κλέαρχος ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν τῷ ὑγρῷ.ʼ ἐστὶ δὲ δεῖγμα τοῦ ἥδεσθαι αὐτοὺς τῇ ἐλαίᾳ καὶ τοῦτο· ἐάν τις κλάδον τοῦ φυτοῦ τούτου καθῇ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καθ’ ἥν εἰσι πουλύποδες καὶ μικρὸν ἐπίσχῃ, ἀπονητὶ ἀνέλκει τῷ κλάδῳ περιπλεκομένους ὅσους ἐθέλει. ἔχουσι δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μέρη ἰσχυρότατα, τὸν δὲ τράχηλον ἀσθενῆ.
It is also said that the male has something corresponding to the parts of generation of one of his arms, in which there are his two large feelers; and that it is a limb full of nerves, sticking to the arm all along as far as the middle. But, in the fifth book of his treatise on the Parts of Animals, Aristotle says—“The polypus propagates his species in the winter, and brings forth in the spring; and it lies in its hole for about two months: and it is a very prolific animal. But the male differs from the female, both in having a longer head, and also in having what the fishermen call its parts of generation in one of its feelers. And when it brings forth, it sits on its eggs, on which account it is worse to eat at that season; and the polypus lays its eggs either in its bed, or in any potsherd, or hollow place or vessel of that sort. And after fifty days, the little polypi come forth out of the egg in immense numbers, like young spiders. But the female polypus sometimes sits upon the eggs, and sometimes clings to the mouth of the bed, holding on with one of its feelers.” Theophrastus, in his treatise on those Animals which change their Colour, says that the polypus generally becomes like only to those places which are rocky, doing this both out of fear and for the sake of protecting itself. But, in his book on those Animals which live on dry Land, he says that the polypi are not fond of sea-water. But, in his treatise on those Things which are different according to the Differences of their Situation, Theophrastus says that there are no polypi about the Hellespont; for that that sea is cold, and not very salt, and that both these circumstances are unfavourable to the polypus. “But the fish called the nautilus,” says Aristotle, “is not a polypus, though it resembles a polypus in its feelers. And the back of the nautilus is covered with a shell; and it rises up out of the bottom of the sea, having its shell upon its back, in order that it may not catch the water. But when it has turned round, then it sails on, putting up two of its feelers, which have a thin membrane growing between them, just as the feet of some birds are which have a membrane of skin between their toes. And their other two feelers they let down into the sea, instead of rudders; but when they see anything coming towards them, then out of fear they draw in those feet, and fill themselves with salt water, and so descend to the bottom as rapidly as possible.” But, in his treatise on Animals and Fishes, he says—“Of the polypi there are two sorts; one, that which changes its colour, the other the nautilus.”
λέγεται δ’ αὐτῶν τὸν ἄρρενα ἕλκειν αἰδοιῶδές τι ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πλεκτανῶν ἐν ᾗ αἱ δύο μεγάλαι κοτυληδόνες εἰσίν. εἶναι δὲ τοῦτο νευρῶδες μέχρι εἰς μέσην τὴν πλεκτάνην ἅπαν προσπεφυκός. ἐν δὲ πέμπτῳ μορίων φησὶν Ἀριστοτέλης· πουλύπους ὀχεύει τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ τίκτει τῷ ἔαρι. φωλεύει δὲ περὶ δύο μῆνας, ἐστὶ δὲ πολύγονον τὸ ζῷον. διαφέρει δὲ ὁ ἄρρην τῆς θηλείας τῷ τε τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔχειν προμηκεστέραν καὶ τὸ καλούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἁλιέων αἰδοῖον ἔχειν ἐν τῇ πλεκτάνῃ, ἐπῳάζει δὲ ὅταν τέκῃ· διὸ καὶ χείριστοί εἰσι κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον, ἀποτίκτει δ’ ὁ μὲν πουλύπους ἢ εἰς θαλάμας ἢ εἰς κεράμιον ἤ τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτο κοῖλον, καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας πεντήκοντα ἐκ τῶν ᾠῶν πουλυπόδια ἐξέρπει ὥσπερ τὰ φαλάγγια πολλά, ὁ δὲ θῆλυς πουλύπους ὁτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς ᾠοῖς, ὁτὲ δ’ ἐπὶ τῷ στόματι προκάθηται τῆς θαλάμης, τὴν πλεκτάνην ἐπέχων. Θεόφραστος δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν μεταβαλλόντων τὰς χρόας τὸν πολύποδά φησι τοῖς πετρώδεσι μάλιστα μόνοις συνεξομοιοῦσθαι, τοῦτο ποιοῦντα φόβῳ καὶ φυλακῆς χάριν, ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ διατριβόντων ζῴων οὐ δέχεσθαί φησι τοὺς πολύποδας τὴν θάλατταν. ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ τῶν κατὰ τόπους διαφορῶν ὁ Θεόφραστος πολύποδας οὐ γίνεσθαί φησιν περὶ Ἑλλήσποντον. ψυχρὰ γὰρ ἡ θάλασσα αὕτη καὶ ἧττον ἁλμυρά, ταῦτα δ’ ἀμφότερα πολέμια πολύποδι ὁ δὲ ναυτίλος καλούμενος, φησὶν Ἀριστοτέλης, πολύπους μὲν οὔκ ἐστιν, ἐμφερὴς δὲ κατὰ τὰς πλεκτάνας. ἔχει δὲ τὸ νῶτον ὀστρακόδερμον. ἀναδύνει δὲ ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν ἔχων τὸ ὄστρακον, ἵνα μὴ τὴν θάλατταν ἕλκῃ· ἐπαναστραφεὶς δ’ ἐπιπλεῖ ἄνω ποιήσας δύο τῶν πλεκτανῶν, αἳ μεταξὺ αὑτῶν λεπτὸν ὑμένα ἔχουσιν διαπεφυκότα, ὡς καὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων οἱ πόδες ὁρῶνται μεταξὺ τῶν δακτύλων δερμάτινον ὑμένα ἔχοντες· ἄλλας δὲ δύο πλεκτάνας καθίησιν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ἀντὶ πηδαλίων, ὅταν δέ τι προσιὸν ἴδῃ, δείσας συστέλλει τοὺς πόδας καὶ πληρώσας αὑτὸν τῆς θαλάσσης κατὰ βυθοῦ ὡς τάχος χωρεῖ. ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ ζωικῶν καὶ ἰχθύων πολύπους, φησί, τις ὁ μὲν τρεψίχρως, ὁ δὲ ναυτίλος.
Now, on this nautilus there is an epigram quoted of Callimachus of Cyrene, which runs thus:—I was a shell, O Venus Zephyritis,Now I'm the pious offering of Selena,The gentle nautilus. When balmy windsBreathe soft along the sea, I hold my course,Stretching my sails on their congenial yards.Should calm, the placid goddess, still the waves,I row myself along with nimble feet,So that my name suits rightly with my acts.Now have I fallen on the Iulian shore,To be a pleasant sport to Arsinoe.No more shall Halcyons' dew-besprinkled eggs,My dainty meal, lie thick within my bedAs formerly they did, since here I lie.But give to Cleinias's daughter worthy thanks;For she does shape her conduct honestly,And from Aeolian Smyrna doth she come.Posidippus also wrote this epigram on the same Venus which is worshipped in Zephyrium:—Oh, all ye men who traffic on the streams,Or on the land who hold a safer way,Worship this shrine of Philadelphus' wife,Venus Arsinoe, whom Callicrates,The naval leader, first did firmly placeOn this most beautiful Zephyrian shore.And she will on your pious voyage smile,And amid storms will for her votariesSmooth the vex'd surface of the wide-spread sea.Ion the tragedian also mentions the polypus, in his Phœnix, saying,—I hate the colour-changing polypus,Clinging with bloodless feelers to the rocks.
εἰς τὸν ναυτίλον τοῦτον φέρεταί τι Καλλιμάχου τοῦ Κυρηναίου ἐπίγραμμα οὕτως ἔχον κόγχος ἐγώ, Ζεφυρῖτι, πάλαι τέρας. ἀλλὰ σὺ νῦν με, Κύπρι, Σεληναίης ἄνθεμα πρῶτον ἔχεις, ναυτίλον ὃς πελάγεσσιν ἐπέπλεον, εἰ μὲν ἀῆται, τείνας οἰκείων λαῖφος ἀπὸ προτόνων, εἰ δὲ Γαληναίη, λιπαρὴ θεός, οὖλος ἐρέσσων ποσσί νιν, ὥστ’ ἔργῳ τοὔνομα συμφέρεται, ἔστ’ ἔπεσον παρὰ θῖνας Ἰουλίδας, ὄφρα γένωμαι σοὶ τὸ περίσκεπτον παίγνιον, Ἀρσινόη, μηδέ μοι ἐν θαλάμῃσιν ἔθ᾽, ὡς πάρος εἰμὶ γὰρ ἄπνους, τίκτηται νοτερῆς ὤεον ἁλκυόνης. Κλεινίου ἀλλὰ θυγατρὶ δίδου χάριν οἶδε γὰρ ἐσθλὰ ῥέζειν καὶ Σμύρνης ἐστὶν ἀπ’ Αἰολίδος. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ Ποσείδιππος εἰς τὴν ἐν τῷ Ζεφυρίῳ τιμωμένην ταύτην Ἀφροδίτην τόδε τὸ ἐπίγραμμα· τοῦτο καὶ ἐν πόντῳ καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ τῆς Φιλαδέλφου Κύπριδος ἱλάσκεσθ’ ἱερὸν Ἀρσινόης, ἣν ἀνακοιρανέουσαν ἐπὶ Ζεφυρίτιδος ἀκτῆς πρῶτος ὁ ναύαρχος θήκατο Καλλικράτης. ἡ δὲ καὶ εὐπλοΐην δώσει καὶ χείματι μέσσῳ τὸ πλατὺ λισσομένοις ἐκλιπανεῖ πέλαγος, τοῦ πολύποδος μνημονεύει καὶ ὁ τραγικὸς Ἴων ἐν Φοίνικι λέγων καὶ τὸν πετραῖον πλεκτάναις ἀναίμοσι στυγῶ μεταλλακτῆρα πουλύπουν χροός.
Now the different species of polypus are these: the eledone, the polypodine, the bolbotine, the osmylus; as both Aristotle and Speusippus teach us. But, in his book on Animals and their Properties, Aristotle says that the polypus, the osmylus, the eledone, the cuttle-fish, and the squid, are all molluscous. Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—A polypus, a cuttle-fish, and quickly-moving squid,A foul-smelling bolbitine, and chattering old woman.And Archestratus says—The Carian and the Thasian polypiAre far the best; Corcyra too can breedFish of large size and very numerous.But the Dorians spell the word with an ω, πωλύπους; as, for instance, Epicharmus. Simonides too has the expression, πώλυπον διζήμενος. But the Attics spell the word πολύπους, with an o: and it is a cartilaginous fish; for χονδρώδης and σελαχώδης have the same meaning;—The polypodes and the dog-shark.Moreover, all the fish belonging to the species of the cuttlefish are called molluscous. But the whole tribe of... is cartilaginous.
εἴδη δ’ ἐστὶ πολυπόδων ἑλεδώνη, πολυποδίνη, βολβιτίνη, ὀσμύλος, ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης ἱστορεῖ καὶ Σπεύσιππος. ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ ζωικῶν Ἀριστοτέλης μαλάκιά φησιν εἶναι πουλύποδας, ὀσμύλην, ἑλεδώνην, σηπίαν, τευθίδα· Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· πώλυποί τε σηπίαι τε καὶ ποταναὶ τευθίδες χἀ δυσώδης βολβιτὶς γραῖαί τ’ ἐριθακώδεες. Ἀρχέστρατος δέ φησι· πούλυποι ἔν τε Θάσῳ καὶ Καρίᾳ εἰσὶν ἄριστοι· καὶ Κέρκυρα τρέφει μεγάλους πολλοὺς τε τὸ πλῆθος. Δωριεῖς δ’ αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ ω καλοῦσι πώλυπον, ὡς Ἐπίχαρμος. καὶ Σιμωνίδης δ’ ἔφη· πώλυπον διζήμενος. Ἀττικοὶ δὲ πουλύπουν ἐστὶ δὲ τῶν σελαχωδῶν τὰ χονδρώδη δ’ οὕτω λέγεται· πουλύποδες, γαλεοί τε κύνες. μαλάκια δὲ καλεῖται τὰ τευθιδώδη. σελάχια δὲ τὰ τῶν ῥινῶν φῦλα.
There is also a fish called the pagurus; and it is mentioned by Timocles or Xenarchus, in his Purple, thus—But I, as being a skilful fisherman,Have carefully devised all sorts of artsTo catch those vile paguri, enemiesTo all the gods and all the little fishes.And shall I not without delay beguileAn old buglossus? That would be well done.
πάγουροι. τούτων μέμνηται Τιμοκλῆς ἢ Ξέναρχος ἐν Πορφύρᾳ οὕτως· ι εἶθ’ ἁλιεὺς ὢν ἄκρος σοφίαν ἐπὶ μὲν παγούροις τοῖς ὁ θεοῖς ἐχθροῖσι καὶ ἰχθυδίοις εὕρηκα παντοδαπὰς τέχνας, γέροντα βούγλωττον δὲ μὴ ταχέως πάνυ συναρπάσομαι; καλὸν γ’ ἂν εἴη.
There is also the pelamys. Phrynichus mentions it in his Muses; and Aristotle, in the fifth book of his treatise on the Parts of Animals, says the pelamydes and the tunnies breed in the Black Sea, but not anywhere else. Sophocles also mentions them, in his Shepherds:—There, too, the foreign pelamys does winter,The stranger from the Hellespont. For sheDoth come with many of her kind in summerTo these cool waters of the Bosphorus.
πηλαμὺς, Φρύνιχος ἐν Μούσαις μνημονεύει.Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων αἱ πηλαμύδες, φησί, καὶ οἱ θύννοι τίκτουσιν ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ, ἄλλοθι δὲ οὔ. μνημονεύει αὐτῶν καὶ Σοφοκλῆς ἐν Ποιμέσιν ἔνθ’ ἡ πάροικος πηλαμὺς χειμάζεται, πάραυλος Ἑλλησποντίς.ὡραία ὡραία θέρους τῷ Βοσπορίτῃ· τῷδε γὰρ θαμίζεται.
Then there is the perch. He also is mentioned by Diodes; and Speusippus, in the second book of his treatise on Things Resembling one another, says that the perch, the canna, and the phycis are all nearly alike. And Epicharmus says—The comaris, the sea-dog, and the cestraAnd variegated perch.And Numenius, in his treatise on the Art of Fishing, says—At one time perch, and at another strophades,Which keep around the rocks. The phycis too,Th' alphestes, and the red-flesh'd scorpion.There is also the phycis. This also is mentioned by Epichar- mus, in his Hebe's Wedding; and by Speusippus, in the second book of his treatise on Things Resembling one another; and by Numenius: all whose testimonies are at hand. Aristotle, in his book upon Animals and their Properties, says that the phycis is surrounded with prickles and spotted. But the perch is marked with lines, and with bars running in an oblique direction. And there is a proverb also, “The perch follows the black-tail.” We have also the needle-fish. This also is mentioned by Epicharmus, who says—The oxyrhynchi, and the needle-fish,And the hippuri.But Dorion, in his work on Fish, says—“The belone, which they also call the needle-fish.” Aristotle too, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals, calls this fish the belone. But, in his book on Animals and their Properties, or else in his work on Fishes, he calls it the needle-fish; and says that it has no teeth. And Speusippus calls it the belone.
πέρκαι. τούτων μέμνηται Διοκλῆς καὶ Σπεύσιππος ἐν δευτέρῳ Ὁμοίων, παραπλησίας εἶναι λέγων πέρκην, χάνναν, φυκίδα. Ἐπίχαρμος δέ φησι· κομαρίδας τε καὶ κύνας, κέστρας τε πέρκας τ’ αἰόλας. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ· ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖ πέρκας, ὁτὲ δὲ στροφάδας παρά πέτρην φυκίδας ἀλφηστήν τε καὶ ἐν χροιῇσιν ἐρυθρὸν σκορπίον. πέρκη. καὶ ταύτης Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ μέμνηται καὶ Σπεύσιππος ἐν β’ τῶν Ὁμοίων καὶ Νουμήνιος, ὧν τὰ μαρτύρια πρόκειται. Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν τῷ περὶ ζωικῶν ἀκανθοστεφῆ φησιν εἶναι καὶ ποικιλόχροα φυκίδα. τῶν δὲ γραμμοποικίλων πλαγίαις τε ταῖς ῥάβδοις κεχρημένων πέρκη. καὶ παροιμία δὲ ἐστιν ἕπεται πέρκη μελανούρῳ ῥαφίδες. καὶ τούτων μέμνηται Ἐπίχαρμος λέγων κὠξύρυγχοι ῥαφίδες ἵππουροί τε. Δωρίων δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων βελόνην, φησίν, ἣν καλοῦσιν ῥαφίδα. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων βελόνην αὐτὴν καλεῖ, ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ ζωικῶν ἢ ἰχθύων ῥαφίδα αὐτὴν ὀνομάσας ἀνόδουν φησὶν αὐτὴν εἶναι, καὶ Σπεύσιππος αὐτὴν βελόνην καλεῖ.
There is also the rhine. Dorion, in his book on Fishes, says that the rhinos are best at Smyrna; and that all the cartilaginous fish are especially good in the gulf of Smyrna. And Archestratus says—And the far-famed Miletus does produceAll cartilauginous fish in high perfection,But first of all one ought to take accountBoth of the rhina and leiobatus,Known for his spacious back. Still before allGive me a roasted crocodile to eat,Fresh from the oven, a most dainty dishFor all the children of Ionia.
ῥίνῃ. Δωρίων ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων ἐν Σμύρνῃ φησὶν τὰς ῥίνας διαφόρους γίνεσθαι, καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ σελαχώδη τὸν Σμυρναικὸν κόλπον ἔχειν διαφέροντα. Ἀρχέστρατος δέ φησιν καὶ σελάχη μέντοι κλεινή Μίλητος ἄριστα ἐκτρέφει· ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ ῥίνης λόγον ἢ πλατυνώτου λειοβάτου ποιεῖσθαι; ὁμῶς κροκόδειλον ἂν ὀπτὸν δαισαίμην ἀπ’ ἰπνοῦ, τερπνὸν παίδεσσιν Ἰώνων.
There is next the scarus, or char. Aristotle says that this fish has serrated teeth, and is a solitary fish, and carnivorous; and that it has a small mouth, and a tongue which does not adhere closely to the mouth, and a triangular heart of a whitish colour and with three lobes; and that its gall and spleen are black, and that of its gills one is double and one single; and that it alone of all fish chews the cud. And that it delights in seaweed for food, on which account the fishermen use seaweed as a bait to catch it with. And it is in season in the summer. And Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—We fish for spari, and for scari too,Whose very dung may not be thrown away.But Seleucus of Tarsus, in his treatise on Fishing, says that the scarus is the only fish which never sleeps; by reason of which it is not easily caught, even by night. But this may be the case on account of its timid nature. And Archestratus says, in his Gastronomy,—Seek now a scarus, fresh from Ephesus,And in the winter season eat a mulletCaught in the waves of sandy Teichioussa,A village of Miletus, near the Carians,The crooked-footed Carians.And in another part he says—Wash and then roast the mighty scarus whichComes from the sea that laves Chalcedon's walls:That too is good which near Byzantium swims,With back as broad as a large oval shield.Take him and cook him whole as I shall tell you.Sprinkle him o'er with oil and grated cheese,Then place him in the oven hanging up,So as to escape the bottom, and then roast him,And sprinkle him with salt and cummin seedWell mix'd together; and again with oil,Pouring out of your hand the holy stream.Nicander of Thyatira says that there are two kids of scari; and that one is called the onias, and the other the ælous.
σκάρος. τοῦτον Ἀριστοτέλης φησὶν καρχαρόδοντα εἶναι καὶ μονήρη καὶ σαρκοφάγον ἔχειν τε στόμα μικρὸν καὶ γλῶτταν οὐ λίαν προσπεφυκυῖαν, καρδίαν τρίγωνον, ἧπαρ λευκόν, τρίλοβον, ἔχειν τε χολὴν καὶ σπλῆνα μέλανα, τῶν δὲ βραγχίων τὸ μὲν διπλοῦν, τὸ δὲ ἁπλοῦν. μόνος δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἰχθύων μηρυκάζει, χαίρει δὲ τῇ τῶν φυκίων τροφῇ· διὸ καὶ τούτοις θηρεύεται, ἀκμάζει δὲ θέρους. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ φησὶν ἁλιέων, ὁ σπάρους καὶ σκάρους, τῶν οὐδὲ τὸ σκᾶρ θεμιτὸν ἐκβαλεῖν θεοῖς. Σέλευκος δ’ ὁ Ταρσεὺς ἐν τῷ Ἁλιευτικῷ μόνον φησὶ τῶν ἰχθύων τὸν σκάρον οὐ καθεύδειν ὅθεν οὐδὲ νύκτωρ ποτὲ ἁλῶναι. τοῦτο δ’ ἴσως διὰ φόβον αὐτῷ συμβαίνει. Ἀρχέστρατος δ’ ἐν τῇ Γαστρονομίᾳ· σκάρον ἐξ Ἐφέσου ζήτει, χειμῶνι δὲ τρίγλας ἔσθι’ ἐνὶ ψαφαρῇ ληφθέντας Τειχιοέσσῃ Μιλήτου κώμῃ Καρῶν πέλας ἀγκυλοκώλων κἀν. ἄλλῳ δὲ μέρει φησὶν καὶ σκάρον ἐν παράλῳ Καλχηδόνι τὸν μέγαν ὄπτα, πλύνας εὖ· χρηστὸν δὲ καὶ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ὄψει καὶ μέγεθος κυκλίᾳ ἴσον ἀσπίδι νῶτα φοροῦντα. τοῦτον ὅλον θεράπευε τρόπον τοιόνδε· λαβών νιν, ἡνίκ’ ἂν εὖ τυρῷ καὶ ἐλαίῳ πάντα πυκασθῇ, κρίβανον ἐς θερμὸν κρέμασον κἄπειτα κατόπτα. πάσσειν δ’ ἁλσὶ κυμινοτρίβοις καὶ γλαυκῷ ἐλαίῳ ἐκ χειρὸς κατακρουνίζων θεοδέγμονα πηγήν. Νίκανδρος δ’ ὁ Θυατειρηνὸς δύο γένη φησὶν εἶναι σκάρων καὶ καλεῖσθαι τὸν μὲν ὀνίαν, τὸν δὲ αἴολον.
Then there is the sparus. Icesius says that this is a more juicy fish than the sprat, and more nutritious than most other fish. And Epicharmus says, in his Hebe's Wedding,—Neptune then arives himselfLaden with most beauteous netsIn the boats of fair Phœnicia,Then we all do spari catch,And scari too, that sacred fish,Whose very dung may not be thrown away.And Numenius says, in his treatise on Fishing,—The sparus or the hycas fond of company.And Dorion mentions this fish, in his treatise on Fishes.
σπάρος. τοῦτον Ἱκέσιος εὐχυλότερον μὲν εἶναι μαινίδος καὶ ἄλλων δὲ πλειόνων τροφιμώτερον. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ αὐτὸς ὁ Ποτιδὰν ἄγων γαύλοισιν ἐν Φοινικικοῖς εἷκε καλλίστους ἄδην, λᾳταγὸς ἁλιέων, σπάρους καὶ σκάρους, τῶν οὐδὲ τὸ σκᾶρ θεμιτὸν ἐκβαλεῖν θεοῖς. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ· ἢ σπάρον ἢ ὕκας ἀγεληίδας. μνημονεύει δ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ Δωρίων ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων.
There is also the scorpion. Diodes, in the first book of his treatise on Wholesome Things, addressed to Plistarchus, says—“Of fresh fish, the following have drier meat: the scorpions, the sea-cuckoo, the sea-sparrow, the sargi, and the rough-tail. But the mullet is not so dry as these are; for all fish which keep near the rocks have softer flesh.” And Icesius says—“There are two kinds of scorpion; one of which lives in the sea, and the other in marshes. And the one which lives in the sea is red, but the other is rather black. But the sea-mullet is superior to the other, both in taste and in nutritious qualities. But the scorpions have purging qualities, are easy of secretion, very juicy, and very nutritious; for they are a cartilaginous fish.” The scorpion brings forth its young twice a-year, as Aristotle tells us, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals. But Numenius says, in his treatise on Fishing,—The phycides, the alphestes, and besidesThe red-flesh'd scorpion, and the black-tail quick,Which guides the perch all through the stormy sea.But that he is a fish which has the power of stinging, Aristotle tells us, in his book about Fishes or Animals. And Epicharmus, in his Muses, says that the scorpion is a variegated fish:—The variegated scorpion, the grayling,The fat and well-fed lizards.The scorpion is a solitary fish, and feeds on seaweed. But, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals, Aristotle speaks of scorpions and scorpides in different places; but it is uncertain whether he means the same fish; because we ourselves have often eaten the scorpæna and the scorpion, and there is no one who does not know that both their juice and their meat are quite different. But Archestratus, that skilful cook, in his Golden Words, tells us—When you're at Thasos buy a scorpion,But let him not be longer than one cubit;Avoid the larger sizes.
σκορπίος. Διοκλῆς ἐν πρώτῳ τῶν πρὸς Πλείσταρχον Ὑγιεινῶν τῶν μὲν νεαρῶν φησιν ἰχθύων ξηροτέρους εἶναι τὰς σάρκας σκορπίους, κόκκυγας, ψήττας, σαργούς, τραχούρους, τὰς δὲ τρίγλας ἧττον τούτων ξηροσάρκους. οἱ γὰρ πετραῖοι μαλακοσαρκότεροὶ εἰσιν. Ἱκέσιος δέ φησι· τῶν σκορπίων ὁ μέν ἐστι πελάγιος, ὁ δὲ τεναγώδης. καὶ ὁ μὲν πελάγιος πυρρός, ὁ δ’ ἕτερος μελανίζων. διαφέρει δὲ τῇ γεύσει καὶ τῷ τροφίμῳ ὁ πελάγιος. εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ σκορπίοι σμηκτικοί, εὐέκκριτοι, πολύχυλοι, πολύτροφοι, χονδρώδεις γάρ εἰσι. τίκτει δ’ ὁ σκορπίος δίς, ὥς φησιν Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ· φυκίδας ἀλφηστήν τε καὶ ἐν χροιῇσιν ἐρυθρὸν σκορπίον ἢ πέρκαισι καθηγητὴν μελάνουρον. ὅτι δὲ καὶ πληκτικός ἐστιν Ἀριστοτέλης ἱστορεῖ ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων ἢ ζωικῶν. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Μούσαις ποικίλον εἶναί φησι τὸν σκορπίον σκορπίοι τε ποικίλοι γλαῦκοί τε, σαῦροι πίονες. μονήρης δ’ ἐστὶ καὶ φυκοφάγος. ἐν δὲ πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης σκορπίους καὶ σκορπίδας ἐν διαφόροις τόποις ὀνομάζει, ἄδηλον δὲ εἰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς λέγει· ὅτι καὶ σκόρπαιναν καὶ σκορπίους πολλάκις ἡμεῖς ἐφάγομεν καὶ διάφοροι καὶ οἱ χυμοὶ καὶ αἱ χρόαι εἰσὶν οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ. ὁ δ’ ὀψαρτυτὴς Ἀρχέστρατος ἐν τοῖς χρυσοῖς ἔπεσι λέγει· ἐν δὲ Θάσῳ τὸν σκορπίον ὠνοῦ, ἐὰν ᾖ μὴ μείζων πυγόνος· μεγάλου δ’ ἀπὸ χεῖρας ἴαλλε.
Then there is the scombrus, or tunny, which is mentioned by this name by Aristophanes, in his Gerytades. Icesius says that that species of tunny called scombrus is smaller in size, but more nutritious, than the species called colias; and also more juicy, though not more easily digested. Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, mentions them thus:—Sea-swallows, and mormyri, both of whichAre larger than the coliæ and the scombri,But less than those whose name is thynnides.
σκόμβρος. ᾽ Ἀριστοφάνης Γηρυτάδῃ. ἱκέσιός φησι τοὺς σκόμβρους ἐλαχίστους μὲν εἶναι κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος, τροφιμωτέρους δὲ τῶν κολιῶν καὶ εὐχυλοτέρους, οὐ μὴν εὐεκκριτωτέρους. μνημονεύει αὐτῶν οὕτως καὶ Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· καὶ χελιδόνες τε μύρμαι θ᾽, οἵ τε κολιᾶν μείζονες ἐντὶ καὶ σκόμβρων, ἀτὰρ τᾶν θυννίδων γα μείονες.
The sargus is another fish. He (as Icesius tells us) is a fish of very exciting and astringent properties, and more nutritious than the melanurus, or blacktail. But Numenius, in his treatise on Fishing, says that the sargus is a very cunning fish as respects the catching him:—The rich sea-blackbird, or the thrush who sportsBeneath the waves; the sargus too who rushesNow here with sudden movement, and now there,The greatest enemy to the fisher's nets.And Aristotle, in the fifth book of his treatise on the Parts of Animals, says that the sargus brings forth its young twice in the year; once in the spring and once in the autumn. And Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—The sargus, and the chalcis, and the...But he speaks of the sarginus, or sargus, as an excellent fish, in the following lines—There the sarginus was, the melanurus,And the dear tænia, thin but delicious.And in a similar manner Dorion, in his treatise on Fishes, speaks, calling them sargini and chalcides, on this very account. But the wise Archestratus says—Now when the bright Orion's star doth set,And the fair mother of the vinous grapeDoth shed her hair, then take a roasted sargus,Well sprinkled o'er with cheese, of mighty size,Smoking, and soften'd with sharp vinegar.For he is hard by nature. And rememberThis is the way all hard fish should be cook'd.But those whose meat is good and soft by nature,It is enough to sprinkle well with salt,And lightly to anoint with oil. For theyHave virtue and delights within themselves.
σάργοι. οὗτοι, ὥς φησιν Ἱκέσιος, στύφουσι μᾶλλον καὶ τῶν μελανούρων εἰσὶ τροφιμώτεροι. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ πανοῦργον εἶναί φησι περὶ τὰς θήρας τὸν σαργόν κόσσυφον ἢ κίχλας ἁλιειδέας, ἄλλοτε δ’ ἄλλῃ σαργὸν ἐπικέλσοντα, ὁ λινοπληγέστατον ἰχθύν. Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ ἐν πέμπτῳ μορίων τίκτειν αὐτόν φησιν δίς, ἔαρος, εἶτα μετοπώρου. Ἐπίχαρμος δὲ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· αἰ δὲ λῇς, σαργοί τε χαλκίδες τε καὶ τοὶ πόντιοι... ὡς διαφόρους δὲ τοὺς σαργίνους ἐν τοῖσδε καταλέγει· ἦν δὲ σαργῖνοί τε μελάνουροί τε καὶ τὸ φίνταται ταινίαι λεπταὶ μέν, ἁδῆαι δέ. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Δωρίων ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων φησὶ σαργίνους διὰ τοῦτ’ αὐτοὺς καλῶν καὶ χαλκίδας. ὁ δὲ σοφὸς Ἀρχέστρατός φησιν ἡνίκα δ’ ἂν δύνοντος ἐν οὐρανῷ ᾽ Ὠρίωνος μήτηρ οἰνοφόρου βότρυος χαίτην ἀποβάλλῃ, τῆμος ἔχειν ὀπτὸν σαργὸν τυρῷ κατάπαστον, εὐμεγέθη, θερμόν, δριμεῖ δεδαιγμένον ὄξει· σκληρὸς γὰρ φύσει ἐστίν. ἅπαντα δέ μοι θεράπευε τὸν στερεὸν τοιῷδε τρόπῳ μεμνημένος ἰχθύν. τὸν δ’ ἀγαθὸν μαλακόν τε φύσει καὶ πίονα σάρκα ἁλσὶ μόνον λεπτοῖσι πάσας καὶ ἐλαίῳ ἀλείψας· τὴν ἀρετὴν γάρ ἔχει τῆς τέρψιος αὐτὸς ἐν αὑτῷ.
There is the salpe, too. Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—The aon, and the phagrus, and the pike,And the dung-eating, bloated, dirty salpe,Which still have a sweet flavour in the summer.And Aristotle, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals, says that the salpe has young once a-year only, in the autumn; and that his skin is covered with numerous red lines. Moreover, he has serrated teeth, and is a solitary fish. And he says that it is stated by the fishermen that he may be caught with a cucumber, being very fond of that kind of food. And Archestratus says—I always do account the fish call'd salpeA worthless fish. But it is least tastelessWhen the wheat ripens. And the choicest kindsAre caught at Mitylene.And Pancrates, in his Works of the Sea, says—There is the salpe too, of the same size,Which the seafaring fishermen do callThe ox, because he grinds within his teethThe stout seaweed with which he fills his belly.He also is a spotted or variegated fish; on which account his friends used to nickname Mnaseas the Locrian (or, as some call him, the Colophonian),—the man who wrote the poem called The Sports,—Salpe, on account of the variety of things in his collection. But Nymphodorus the Syracusan, in his Voyage round Asia, says that it was a Lesbian woman, named Salpe, who wrote the book called The Sports. But Alcimus, in his Affairs of Sicily, says that in Messene, in Sicily, there was a man named Botrys, who was the author of some “Sports” very like those which are attributed to Salpe. But Archippus uses the word in the masculine form, Salpes, saying—The ceryx shouted out,The salpes trumpeted and fetch'd seven obols.And there is a similar fish produced in the Red Sea, which is called the stromateus; and it has gold-coloured lines running along the whole of his body, as Philo tells us, in his book on Mines. There is also the synodon and the synagris. They also are mentioned by Epicharmus, when he says—Synagrides, and mazi, and the synodons,With red spots variegated.And Numenius, in his treatise on Fishing, writes the word with an υ, συνόδους; and says—Then the white synodon, and boax, and triccus.And in another place he says—Fish with these baits then, if you wish to eatThe mighty synodon, or diving horsetail.But Dorion writes the word σινόδους, with an ι; and so does Archestratus, in the following lines:—But try to catch a well-fed sinodon,And you will find the best in narrow straits.All this advice to Cyrus I have given,And now to you, Cleænus, I impart it.And Antiphanes says, in his Archistrata,—But who would eat an eel, or sinodon's head.
Σάλπη. Ἐπίχαρμος Ἥβας γάμῳ· ἀόνες φάγροι τε λάβρακές τε καὶ τὸ πίονες σκατοφάγοι σάλπαι βδελυχραί, ἁδέαι δ’ ἐν τῷ θέρει. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ μορίων ἅπαξ τίκτειν φησὶν αὐτὴν τοῦ μετοπώρου. ἐστὶ δὲ πολύγραμμος καὶ ἐρυθρόγραμμος, ἔτι δὲ καρχαρόδους καὶ μονήρης, λέγεσθαι δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁλιέων φησὶν ὡς καὶ κολοκύντῃ θηρεύεται χαίρουσα τῷ βρώματι. Ἀρχέστρατος δέ φησιν σάλπην δὲ κακὸν μὲν ἔγωγε ἰχθὺν εἰς ἀεὶ κρίνω βρωτὴ δὲ μάλιστα ἐστὶ θεριζομένου σίτου, λαβὲ δ’ ἐν Μυτιλήνῃ αὐτήν. Παγκράτης δ’ ἐν ἔργοις θαλασσίοις· σάλπαι τ’ ἰσομήκεες ἰχθῦς, ἅς τε βόας πορκῆες ἁλίζωοι καλέουσιν, οὕνεκα γαστέρι φῦκος ἀεὶ ἀλέουσιν ὀδοῦσιν. ἐστὶ δὲ ποικίλος ὁ ἰχθύς, ὅθεν καὶ τὸν Λοκρὸν ἢ Κολοφώνιον Μνασέαν συνταξάμενον τὰ ἐπιγραφόμενα παίγνια διὰ τὸ ποικίλον τῆς συναγωγῆς Σάλπην οἱ συνήθεις προσηγόρευον. Νυμφόδωρος δὲ ὁ Συρακόσιος ἐν τῷ τῆς Ἀσίας Περίπλῳ Λεσβίαν φησὶ γενέσθαι Σάλπην τὴν τὰ παίγνια συνθεῖσαν. ἄλκιμος δ’ ἐν τοῖς Σικελικοῖς ἐν Μεσσήνῃ φησὶ τῇ κατὰ τὴν νῆσον Βότρυν γενέσθαι εὑρετὴν τῶν παραπλησίων παιγνίων τοῖς προσαγορευομένοις Σάλπης. Ἄρχιππος δὲ ἐν Ἰχθύσιν ἀρσενικῶς εἴρηκεν ὁ σάλπης· ἐκήρυξεν βόαξ, σάλπης δ’ ἐσάλπιγξ’ ἕπτ’ ὀβολοὺς μισθὸν φέρων. γίνεται δ’ ὅμοιος ἰχθὺς ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ ὁ καλούμενος στρωματεύς, ῥάβδους ἔχων δι’ ὅλου τοῦ σώματος τεταμένας χρυσιζούσας, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Φίλων ἐν τῷ Μεταλλικῷ, συνόδοντες καὶ Συναγρίς. καὶ τούτων Ἐπίχαρμος μέμνηται· συναγρίδας μαζούς τε συνόδοντάς τ’ ἐρυθροποικίλους. Νουμήνιος Ἁλιευτικῷ διὰ τοῦ υ λέγων φησὶν ἢ λευκὴν συνόδοντα βόηκάς τε τρικκούς τε. καὶ πάλιν τοῖσί κε θηρήσαιο φαγεῖν λελιημένος ἰχθὺν ἠὲ μέγαν συνόδοντα ἢ ἀρνευτὴν ἵππουρον. σινόδοντα δὲ αὐτὸν λέγει διὰ τοῦ ι Δωρίων, ἔτι δὲ Ἀρχέστρατος ἐν τούτοις· αὐτὰρ τὸν σινόδοντα μόνον ζήτει παχὺν εἶναι· ἐκ πορθμοῦ δὲ λαβεῖν πειρῶ καὶ τοῦτον, ἑταῖρε. ταὐτὰ δὲ ταῦτα κυρῶ φράζων καὶ πρὸς σέ, Κλέαινε. Ἀντιφάνης δ’ ἐν Ἀρχεστράτῃ· τίς δ’ ἐγχέλειον ἂν φάγοι ἢ κρανίον σινόδοντος;