1. Lions, leopards, lynxes, panthers, bears and all similar wild beasts are captured in foreign countries, about Mt. Pangaeus and Cittus beyond Macedonia, on Mysian Olympus and Pindus, on Nysa beyond Syria, and in other mountain ranges capable of supporting such animals.
1. λέοντες δὲ καὶ παρδάλεις, λύγκες, πάνθηρες, ἄρκτοι καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα ἐστὶ τοιαῦτα θηρία ἁλίσκεται ἐν ξέναις χώραις περὶ τὸ Πάγγαιον ὄρος καὶ τὸν Κίττον τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς Μακεδονίας, τὰ δʼ ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ τῷ Μυσίῳ καὶ ἐν Πίνδῳ, τὰ δʼ ἐν τῇ Νύσῃ τῇ ὑπὲρ τῆς Συρίας, καὶ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ὄρεσιν ὅσα οἷά τʼ ἐστὶ τρέφειν τοιαῦτα.
2. On the mountains they are sometimes poisoned, owing to the difficulty of the ground, with aconite. Hunters put it down mixed with the animals’ favourite food round pools and in other places that they frequent.
2. ἁλίσκεται δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι φαρμάκῳ διὰ δυσχωρίαν ἀκονιτικῷ· παραβάλλουσι δὲ τοῦτο οἱ θηρώμενοι, συμμιγνύντες εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ὅτῳ ἂν ἕκαστον χαίρῃ περὶ τὰ ὕδατα καὶ πρὸς ὅ τι ἂν ἄλλο προσίῃ.
3. Sometimes, while they are going down to the plain at night, they are cut off by parties of armed and mounted men. This is a dangerous method of capturing them.
3. τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν καταβαίνοντα εἰς τὸ πεδίον τῆς νυκτὸς ἀποκλεισθέντα μετὰ ἵππων καὶ ὅπλων ἁλίσκεται, εἰς κίνδυνον καθιστάντα τοὺς αἱροῦντας.
4. Sometimes the hunters dig large, round, deep holes, leaving a pillar of earth in the middle. They tie up a goat and put it on the pillar in the evening, and pile wood round the hole without leaving an entrance, so that the animals cannot see what lies in front. On hearing the bleating in the night, the beasts run round the barrier, and finding no opening, jump over and are caught.
4. ἔστι δὲ οἷς αὐτῶν καὶ ὀρύγματα ποιοῦσι περιφερῆ μεγάλα βαθέα, ἐν μέσῳ λείποντες κίονα τῆς γῆς. ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦτον εἰς νύκτα ἐπέθεσαν δήσαντες αἶγα, καὶ ἔφραξαν κύκλῳ τὸ ὄρυγμα ὕλῃ ὥστε μὴ προορᾶν, εἴσοδον οὐ λείποντες. τὰ δὲ ἀκούοντα τῆς φωνῆς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ κύκλῳ τὸν φραγμὸν περιθέουσι, καὶ ἐπειδὰν μὴ εὑρίσκῃ δίοδον, ὑπερπηδᾷ καὶ ἁλίσκεται.