1 64 BIBLIOTHECA PISCATORIA. 



that the two poems are not by the same author. Both are also 

 contained in "Ameis ( C. F.) Poeta^ bucolici et didactic!." 1846. 

 8vo.] 



Les halieutiques trad, du poeme grec d'Oppien, ou il 



traite de la peche el des moeurs des habitants des eaux, par 

 J. M. Limes. Paris. 1817. 8".; 



Traduction. ..nouvelle... par E. J. Bourquin, Coulommiers, 

 1877. pp. xiii. 231. 8°. 



Oppiano della pesca e della caccia, tradotto...con 



varie annotazioni da Ant. Maria SaUini. Fiienze, 1728. S^ 

 nuova edizione m Daelli ( G.) Biblioteca rara, etc. pt. 48, 

 1862, etc. 



Oppian's Halieuticks of the nature of fishes and 



fishing of the ancients, in v. books. Translated from the 

 Greek, with an account of Oppian's life and writings, and a 

 catalogue of his fishes. Oxford. Printed at the Theatre, 

 1722. pp. viii. 232. 8°. 



[ A translation in heroic verse by Mr. Draper and Mr. J. Jones, 

 both of Balliol College. The original work contains 3500 lines, 

 divided into five books, of which the first two treat of the natural 

 history of fishes and the others of the art of fishing. 



Oppian composed this poem in the island of Melita, whither he 

 had been banished by the Emperor Severus. He presented it to 

 Severus or more probably to his son Caracalla, who was so much 

 pleased that the poet was recalled from exile and presented with a 

 gold piece for each verse that it contained. Schneider has disposed 

 of the supposition that the " Cynegetica " was written by the same 

 author. The " Halieutics " is much superior in style and poetical 

 embellishment. It contains much fable and absurdity together with 

 considerable zoological knowledge. Julius Scaliger pronounced 

 Oppian " the most perfect writer among the Greeks," and Sir 

 Thomas Browne has expressed his wonder " that his elegant lines 

 should be so much neglected." There appear to have been several 

 other Greek writers on fishing whose works have perished, and an 

 interesting passage in Athenasus, ( Dcipnosophi&tai, epitome of 

 Book i. cap. 22), may be here quoted respecting them. Homer, he 

 says "compares the companions of Ulysses, who were seized by 

 Sylla, to fish caught with a long rod and thrown out of doors, and 

 he speaks more accurately concerning this act than those who have 

 written poems or treatises professedh' on the subject. I refer to 

 Csecilius of Argos, and Numenius of Heraclea, and Pancrates, the 

 Arcadian and Posidonius the Corinthian and Oppianus the Cicilian 

 who lived a short time ago ; for we know all of these men as 

 writers of heroic poems about fishing. And of prose essayists on 

 the subject we have Seleucus of Tarsus, and Leonidas of Byzan- 

 tium and Agothocles of Atracia." A few passages are quoted by 

 Athenaeus from Pancrates, Seleucus and Numenius.] 



Oracle. The Oracle of rural life. An almanac for sportsmen, 

 farmers, gardeners and country gentlemen, for the year 1839. 



