218 THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS. [ 



ponds ; for they never grow, as we may say, except in rainy 

 weather. 



4. And this is the reason why so many fish migrate every 

 summer into the Pontus ; for the number of rivers which 

 flow into it render the water fresh, and also bring down a 

 supply of food, and many fish also ascend the rivers, and 

 flourish in the rivers and lakes, as the amia and mullet. 

 The cobii also become fat in the rivers ; and on the whole, 

 those places which have the largest lakes furnish the most 

 excellent fish. 



5. Of all kinds of water, summer showers agree best with 

 fish ; and if the spring, summer, and autumn have been wet, 

 a fine winter. And to speak generally, if the season is 

 healthy for mankind, it will be the same for fish. They do 

 not thrive in cold places. Those which have a stone in their 

 head, as the chromis, labrax, scicena, and phagrus, suffer 

 most in the winter ; for the refrigeration of the stone causes 

 them to freeze and be driven on shore. 



6. Abundant rain confers health on most fish ; but the 

 contrary is the case with the mullet and cephalus, which 

 some call marinus ; for if there is a great supply of rain 

 water, they soon become blind. The cephali are particu- 

 larly liable to this disease in the winter ; for their eyes 

 become white. When captured they are lean, and at last 

 perish altogether. They do not, however, appear to suffer 

 so much from the wet as from the cold ; for in other places, 

 and especially in the swamps in the neighbourhood of the 

 Argive .Nauplia, many are found blind in severe weather, and 

 many also are taken with white eyes. 



7. The chrysophrys also suffers from the cold ; the arach- 

 nas from the heat, which makes it lean. Dry seasons agree 

 better with the coracinus than with any other fish, and for 

 this reason, because it is generally warm in dry weather. 

 Particular localities are favourable to different species, as 

 either the neighbourhood of the land, or the deep waters to 

 those which only frequent one of these localities, or parti- 

 cular places to those which frequent both. There are 

 especial places in which each of them thrive ; but, gene- 

 rally speaking, they prefer places full of sea weed; for 

 those which inhabit places with plenty of food are generally 

 found to be fatter ; for those that eat fuci obtain plenty of 



