BOOK VIII. XXXIV. 81-84 



of the same kind for nine years ; and that if in that 

 period he has refrained from touching a human 

 being, he returns to the same marsh, swims across 

 it and recovers his shape, with nine years' age added 

 to his former appearance ; Evanthes also adds the 

 more fabulous detail that he gets back the same 

 clothes ! It is astounding to what lengths Greek 

 creduhty will go ; there is no he so shameless as to 

 lack a supporter. Similarly Apollas the author of 

 Olyvipic Victors rehites that at the sacrifice which 

 even at that date the Arcadians used to perform in 

 honour of Lycaean Jove with a human victim, 

 Daemenetus of Parrhasia tasted the vitals of a boy 

 who had been ofFered as a victim and turned himself 

 into a wolf, and furthermore that he was restored ten 

 years later and trained himself in athletics for boxing 

 and returned a winner from Olympia. Moreover it 

 is popularly beheved that even the tail of this animal 

 contains a love-poison in a small tuft of hair, and when 

 it is caught it sheds the tuft, which has not the same 

 potency unless plucked from the animal while it is 

 ahve ; that the days on which it breeds are not 

 more than twelve in a whole year ; also that for it 

 to feed on earth when it is hungry count^ as an 

 augury : if it does this in large mouthfuls when 

 barring the path of travellers who come upon it on 

 their right hand side, this is the finest of all omens. 

 Some members of the genus are called stag-wolves * ; 

 a specimen from Gaul was seen in the arena of 

 Pompey the Great, as we have stated.* They 

 say that if this animal while devouring its food 

 looks behind it, however hungry it is, forgetfulness 

 of what it is eating creeps over it and It goes ofF to 

 look for something else. 



61 



