366 pliny's natueal histoet. [Book IX. 



in the open sea and to range over the -w'hole face of the ocean ; 

 while the orcae, on the other hand, do all in their power to meet 

 them in their flight, throw themselves in their way, and kill 

 them either cooped up in a narrow passage, or else drive them 

 on a shoal, or dash them to pieces against the rocks. When 

 these battles are witnessed, it appears just as though the sea 

 were infuriate against itself ; not a breath of wind is there to 

 be felt in the bay, and yet the waves by their pantings and 

 their repeated blows are heaved aloft in a way which no whirl- 

 wind could effect. 



An orca has been seen even in the port of Ostia, where it was 

 attacked by the Emperor Claudius. It was while he was 

 constructing the harbour ^^ there that this orca came, attracted 

 by some hides which, having been brought from Gaul, had 

 happened to fall overboard ^^ there. By feeding upon these for 

 several days it had quite glutted itself, having made for itself 

 a channel in the shoaly water. Here, however, the sand was 

 thrown up by the action of the wind to such an extent, that 

 the creature found it quite impossible to turn round ; and while 

 in the act of pursuing 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 

 Boman people ; for boats assailed the monster, while the sol- 

 diers 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. 



34 These works were completed by Xero the successor of Claudius, and 

 consisted of a new and more capacious harbour on the right arm of the 

 Tiber. It was afterwards enlarged and improved by Trajan. This har- 

 bour was simply called " Portus Romanus," or " Portus August! ;" and 

 around it there sprang up a town known as " Portus," the inhabitants of 

 which were called " Portuenses." 



25 " Naufragiis tergorum." This may probably mean a shipwreck, in 

 which some hides had fallen into the sea. 



36 It is remarked by Rezzonico, that Palermus, in the account of this 

 story given by him in B. i. c. 1, has mistaken Pliny's meaning, and evi- 

 denth" thinks that " unum" refers to the soldiers, and not the boats en- 

 gaged iii the attack. 



