66 flint's NATU11A.L HISTORY. [Book XJXXII. 



glaucus'^^ never makes its appearance in summer, that the pom- 

 pilus"^ always accompanies vessels in their course, and that 

 the chromis^^ makes its nest in the water. The helops, he 

 says, is unknown to our waters ; from which it would appear 

 that those are in error who look upon it as identical with our 

 acipenser.-^ Many persons have given the preference to the 

 helops before all other fish, in point of flavour. 



There are several fishes also, which have been mentioned by 

 no author; such, for instance, as the one called ''sudis" by 

 the Latins, and " sphyrene " by the Greeks, names which in- 

 dicate the peculiar form of its muzzle.'^'' It is one of the very 

 largest kinds, but rarely found, and by no means of inferior 

 flavour. ** Perna," too, is the name given to a kind of shell- 

 fish, found in vast numbers in the vicinity of the islands of the 

 Euxine. These fish are found firmly planted in the sand, re- 

 sembling in appearance the long shank^^ of a hog. Opening 

 wide their shells, where there is sufficient space, they lie in 

 wait for their prey ; this opening being not less than a foot in 

 breadth, and the edges of it garnished around with teeth 

 closely set, much resembling the teeth of a comb in form. 

 "Within the shell, the meat consists of a vast lump of flesh. 

 I once saw, too, a fish called the ''hyaena,"^^ which had been 

 caught off the island of -^naria.^ 



In addition to these animals, there are certain excretions 

 thrown up by the sea, which do not merit any further notice, 

 and indeed ought to be reckoned among the sea-weeds, rather 

 than looked upon as animated beings. 



SuMMAKT. — Remedies, narratives, and observations, nine 

 hundred and ninety. 



EoMAN Authors quoted. — Licinius Macer,^^ Trebius Niger,^^ 



23 See B. ix. c. 25. 21 See B. ix. c. 47. 



25 See B. ix, c. 42. 



^ See B. ix. c. 27. Ajasson is of opinion that the " helops " is the 

 Eussian sturgeon, the " acipenser," the common sturgeon. 



27 Eesembling a "stake " in appearance. It has been suggested that 

 this is the Esox sphyraena. 



28 " Perna." Hardouin says that from the diminutive of this, '* per- 

 nula," the modern word " pearl " is derived. 



29 A sort of "tursio," Dalechamps savs. See B. ix. c. 11. 



30 See B. iii. c. 12. ai gee end of B. xix. 32 ggg end ^f g. viii. 



