NOTE-BOOK OF A NATUR^VLIST. 113 



of tlie animal. The age, too, is nearly double that as- 

 signed to the camel by the modems. The antipathy of 

 the horse, which is frequently alluded to by the ancients, 

 still exists in full force, and appears to be mutual, where 

 use has not reconciled it to the camel, — 



Utque aquilam cygnus, congrum muraena, camelus 

 Odit equum. 



Cyrus availed himself of this antipathy on the sugges- 

 tion of HarjDagus the Mode, to the utter discomfiture of 

 Croesus. He gathered together the multitude of camels 

 that followed his army with provisions and baggage, 

 caused their burthens to be taken off, and armed men to 

 mount them, and then ordered them to go in advance of 

 the army against the Lydian horse. His infantry he 

 placed immediately behind the camels, and his cavalry 

 in the rear of the infantry. Then he gave the cruel word 

 for no quarter, except to Croesus, who was on no account 

 to be killed, whatever resistance he might make. He 

 thus disposed his troops, adds Herodotus,* for this reason 

 — a horse is afraid of a camel, and cannot endure its sight 

 or smell ; and he had recourse to this stratagem that the 

 cavalry, by which the Lydian expected to win, might be 

 useless to Croesus. And so it fell out ; for when they 

 joined battle, the horses no sooner smelt and saw the 

 camels, than they turned tail and destroyed the hopes of 

 Croesus. 



Even now, at Pisa, it is found necessary to reconcile 

 the horses to the sight of the camels, in order to prevent 

 accidents; and where the precautions of such training 

 have not been adopted, the sudden and dangerous terror 

 with which a horse is seized on coming unexpectedly upoii 

 one of them is excessive. 



The madness alluded to by Pliny probably refers to 



* Clio, 79. 



