B. 71.] THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS. 177 



their young at all seasons. They become pregnant a second 

 time while they are pregnant, and produce their young every 

 month. They do not produce their young continually, but 

 as many days as may be intervene. The female has milk 

 before the young are produced. As soon as her young are 

 born, she copulates again, and conceives while giving milk. 

 Tne milk is as thick as that of the sow. The young are 

 born blind, like those of many animals with divided feet. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



] . THE fox copulates, mounting on the back of the female. 

 The young are born blind, like those of the bear, and are 

 even more inarticulate. When the season of parturition 

 approaches, the female goes apart, so that it is rare to take 

 a pregnant fox. When the young are born, the dam licks 

 them, in order to warm and mature them. She never pro- 

 duces more than four. 



2. The periods of gestation and parturition, both in point of 

 time and the number of the young, are the same in the wolf as 

 in the dog, and the young are blind, like those of the dog. 

 They copulate at one season of the year, and the young are 

 produced in the beginning of summer. A fabulous story 

 is told of their parturition ; for they say that all the she 

 wolves produce their young in twelve days in the year ; and 

 the reason which is given for this fable is this, that during this 

 number of days Latona was brought from the Hyperborean 

 regions to Delos, in the form of a wolf, for fear of Juno. 

 Whether this is or is not the period of parturition has never 

 yet been ascertained. At present it only rests upon tra- 

 dition. It does not appear to be true, nor that other tale 

 which says that wolves only produce once in their life. 



3. Cats and ichneumons produce their young in the same 

 manner as dogs, and live upon the same things. They live 

 about six years. The young of the panther are born blind. 

 They are never more than four in number. The jackal 

 is impregnated like a bitch, and the young are born blind. 

 They produce two, or three, or four. Its length towards 

 the tail is great. Its height is small. It runs very swiftly, 

 although its legs are short ; but on account of the softness 

 of its tissues it can leap a great distance. 



4. In Syria there are animals called hemioni which are 



