64 FOLLOWTHEWHALE 



its prey, it was propelled by the waves towards the shore, so 

 that its back came to be perceived above the level of the water, 

 very much resembling in appearance the keel of a vessel turned 

 bottom upwards. Upon this, Caesar ordered a great number of 

 nets to be extended at the mouth of the harbour, from shore to 

 shore, while he himself went there with the praetorian cohorts, 

 and so afforded a spectacle to the Roman people; for boats as- 

 sailed the monster, while the soldiers on board showered lances 

 upon it. I myself saw one of the boats sunk by the water which 

 the animal, as it respired, showered down upon it. 



There are those who have doubted the necessity of employing the 

 Praetorian Guard to dispatch anything so small as a killer whale, and 

 who have therefore suggested that the beast in question was a sperm 

 whale, the back of which, suddenly appearing amid the surf, would 

 much more resemble the bottom of a Roman boat. However, taken 

 in conjunction with other remarks made about the Orca by Pliny, 

 it seems improbable that even he could have so lightly transferred 

 the identity of the beast. 



On the subject of the dolphin, that animal so beloved of the Medi- 

 terranean world in general, Pliny waxes really magnificent. Having 

 stated that this animal is even swifter than the birds, he proceeds to 

 copy the majority of Aristotle's facts about its appearance and habits, 

 but then goes on with the utmost blandness to say that "the back is 

 arched and the nose turned up [simus, in Latin]. For this reason it is 

 that they all recognize in a most surprising manner the name 'Simo' 

 and prefer to be called by that rather than by any other." The word 

 simus actually meant "pug-nosed," or "pug-faced," and was applied 

 to a breed of dogs not unlike the King Charles Spaniel. These look 

 very much like black-and-white Pekinese and, when seen in profile, 

 are somewhat reminiscent of the dolphin. 



Not content with this little flight of fancy, Pliny goes on to state 

 that the dolphin is very friendly to man and that it is "a lover of 

 music as well, being charmed by melodious concerts and especially 

 by the notes of the water-organ." In elaboration of this he tells sev- 

 eral stories of dolphins that loved music and musicians, but most of 

 these seem to have been borrowed from older writers imbued with 

 those ancient fables already mentioned. One concerns a dolphin 

 caught in the sea and put in a lake which became very fond of a 



