APIM', N I) IX. 



237 



by a Grecian lady, perhaps, on a valued pet. Darcius of V^onusiiim 

 places the Locrian with the Arcadian, and others of the pugnacious 

 class. 



Sunt et Locrenses catuli, sunt Arcades, atque 

 Cjpria quos Salaniis, quos dives Iberia pascit. 



The Carthaa,inian poet alone has commemorated the " acres 

 catuli" of Libya, his native country. 



Joan. Darcii 



\^eniisini 



Canes. 



Quinetiara siccfE Libyes in finibus acres 

 Gignuntur catuli, quorum non spreveris usum : 



Nemesian. 

 Cyneg. vs. 128. 



and from hira probably, Fracastorius (a learned physician of Verona, 

 who wrote a short poem of some merit, " de cura canum," eleven 

 centuries later,) may have derived the Canes Libyci of his Alcon, 

 recommended for the savage chase. 



Nam rabidas si forte feras te cura tenebit 

 Venari, et variis caput objectare perSclis ; 

 Spartana de stirpe tibi, de stirpe Molossii 

 Qusere canes, Libycos illis, acresque Britannos 

 Pannoniosque truces, et amantes prajlia Celtas 

 Adde, nee Hyrcanos, nee Seras sperne feroces. 



H. Fracastorii 

 Alcon. 



It cannot be granted to Conrad Gesner that the Libyan of the 

 African poet is the Metagon of Gratius ; nor is the resemblance 

 between the former and the Egyptian of Oppian sufficiently clear 

 to justify an inference of identity. Indeed our materials for 

 forming a judgment are far too scanty. We know no more of 

 the " Incola arundiferi Nili" of Natalis Comes than we cull from 

 the credulous historians of the Egyptian dog, ^lian and Solinus, 

 relative to his fear of crocodiles. The former naturalist reports ol 

 fiev aWoi Kvyes Kai eXe'iv, Kal avi'^^vevcrai to. drjpia ao(poi' ol be Alyviv- 

 Tioi (pvye'cu beivuTaroi, k. t. X, " E Nilo nunquam nisi currentes 

 lambitant.. dum a crocodilis insidias cavent," adds the author of 

 the Polyhistor. 



The Pannonian breed of Canes bellicosi, of high courage, were 

 employed in actual war, as well as its mimicry the chase. 

 riaioves stand at the head of Oppian's long catalogue, and, upon 



De Venatione 

 L.I. 



^lian. de 

 Nat. Animal. 

 L. VI. c. 53. 



Polyliistor. 



C. XV. 



