B. VIII.] THE HISTORY OF ANIMALS. 227 



their periods of gestation happen to be the same, and their 

 size not very different. The desire of drinking makes them 

 gentle to each other, for they differ from the animals of other 

 countries, in wanting to drink more in winter than in sum- 

 mer ; for on account of the great want of water during the 

 summer they are habituated to do without water ; and if 

 the mice drink they die. 



8. Other animals are produced by the intercourse of 

 heterogeneous creatures, as in Gyrene the wolves copulate 

 with the dogs, and produce young ; and the Laconian dogs 

 are bred between a dog and a fox. They say that the In- 

 dian dogs are derived from the tiger and the dog ; not di- 

 rectly, but from the third mixture of the breeds ; for they 

 say that the first race was very fierce. They take the dogs 

 and tie them up in the desert. Many of them are devoured, 

 if the wild animal does not happen to desire sexual inter- 

 course. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



1. DIFFERENT localities produce a variety of dispositions, 

 as mountainous and rough places, or smooth plains. They 

 are more fierce and robust in appearance in mountains, as the 

 swine of Athos ; for the males of those which inhabit the 

 plains cannot endure even the females of the other kind : and 

 different situations have great influence on the bite of wild 

 animals. All the scorpions about Pharus and other places 

 are not painful, but in Caria and other localities they are 

 frequent, and large, and fierce, and their sting is fatal to 

 either man or beast, even to sows, which are but little influ- 

 enced by the bite of other creatures, and black sows 

 are more easily affected than others. The swine die very 

 soon after being stung, if they come near the water. 



2. The bite also of serpents varies much ; for in Libya 

 the asp is found, from which they form a septic poison, 

 which is incurable. In the plant silphium is found a small 

 serpent, for the bite of which a remedy has been discovered 

 in a small stone, which is taken out of the tomb of one of 

 the ancient kings : this they drink dipped in wine. In 

 some parts of Italy the bite of the gecko is found to be 

 fatal. If one poisonous animal eats another, as, if a 

 1 Probably assafcetida. 



