B. VI. j THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS. 1G1 



no fat but such ova as I have described. We have now 

 treated of nearly all the oviparous animals, whether furnished 

 with fins, or wings, or feet, and of their sexual intercourse, 

 gestation, development, and such like subjects. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



1. WE must now treat of the nature of viviparous animals with 

 feet and of man at this period. We have already treated in 

 general and in particular of their mode of coition. It is 

 common to all animals to be elevated with the desire and 

 pleasure of sexual intercourse. The females become savage 

 when their young are produced, the males at the season of 

 coition ; for horses bite each other and drive about and pur- 

 sue their riders. The wild boars are very savage at this sea- 

 son, although coition renders them weak, 



2. And they fight wonderfully among themselves, and 

 make themselves as it were breastplates, and render their 

 skin callous beforehand by rubbing themselves against trees 

 and frequently wallowing in the mud and drying themselves. 

 They fight together and drive each other out of the herd so 

 fiercely, that not rarely both of them perish in the fight. 

 The same is the nature of bulls, rams, and goats ; for although 

 at other seasons they pasture together, at the period of co- 

 pulation they quarrel and fight together. The male camel 

 also is violent at this time, whether it is a man or a camel that 

 approaches him, and he will at all times fight with a horse. 



3. The nature of wild animals is the same. For bears, 

 wolves, and lions are savage if they are approached at this 

 season ; but they do not quarrel much among themselves, 

 for none of them are gregarious. The she bears are savage 

 in defence of their cubs, and bitches for their puppies. Ele- 

 phants also become wild at this period. Wherefore they say 

 that in India those who have the care of them do not permit 

 bhem to have sexual intercourse with the females ; for they 

 become mad at such season and overturn the houses, which 

 are badly built, and do many other violent acts. They say 

 also that abundance of food will render them more gentle. 

 They also bring others among them which are directed to 

 beat them, and so they punish them and reduce them to a 

 state of discipline. 



4. Those creatures which have frequent sexual intercourse, 



M 



