254 THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS. [fi. IX 



kill the pigeon as it perches on the ground, and carry it 

 away, but do not touch it in flight ; others attack it a? it 

 sits upon the trees, or in some such situation, but will not 

 touch it when upon the ground or in flight ; other kinds of 

 hawks will not strike the bird when perching upon the 

 ground or anywhere else, but will endeavour to attack it 

 when in flight. 



3. They say that the pigeons can distinguish each of these 

 kinds, so that if they see one of those which attack them in 

 the air flying towards them, they remain sitting where 

 they are, but if it is one of those which strike them on the 

 ground, they do not remain still, but fly away. 



4. In the city of Thrace, formerly called Cedropolis, 

 men are assiste d by hawks in pursuing birds in the 

 marshes. They strike the reeds and wood with sticks 

 in order that the birds may fly up, and the hawks ap 

 pearing above pursue them, the birds then fall to the 

 earth through fear, when the men strike them with their 

 sticks and take them, and divide the prey with the hawks, 

 for they throw away some of the birds, and the hawks 

 come and take them. 



5. On the Palus Moeotis, they say that wolves are 

 accustomed to assist the fishermen in their calling, and if 

 they do not give them their share of the food, they destroy 

 the nets that are laid to dry on the ground. This, then, is 

 the nature of birds. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



1. MAKINE animals also have many artful ways of pro 

 curing their food, for the stories that are told of the batra- 

 chus, which is called the fisher, are true, and so are those of 

 the narce. For the batrachus has appendages above its 

 eyes, of the length of a hair, with a round extremity to 

 each like a bait ; it buries itself in the sand or mud, and 

 raises these appendages above the surface, and when the 

 small fish strike them, it draws them down, till it brings 

 the fish within reach of its mouth. 



2. The narce stupefies any fish it may wish to master, 

 with the peculiar force which it has in its body, and then 

 takes and feeds upon them ; it lies concealed in sand and 



