BOOK VIII. Lxxxiii. 226-Lxxxiv. 229 



do rabbits in Iviza, although Spain and the Balearic 

 Islands close by are teeming with them. At Cyrene 

 the frogs were silent, and though croaking frogs have 

 been imported from the mainland the silent breed 

 ffoes on. Froffs are also silent in the island of 



o o 



Seriphus, but the same frogs croak when removed 

 to some other place, which is also said to happen in 

 the Siccanean Lake in Thessaly. The bite of the 

 shrew-mouse in Italy is venomous., but the venomous 

 species is not found in the district beyond the 

 Apennines. Also vvherever it occurs it dies if it 

 crosses the track of a wheel. There are no wolves on 

 Mount Olympus in Macedon, nor in the island of 

 Crete. In fact in Crete there are no wolves or bears 

 either, and no noxious animal at all except a poisonous 

 spider : we shall speak of this species in its place," 

 under the head of spiders. It is more remarkable 

 that in the same island there are no stags except in 

 the district of Cydonea, and the same is the case with 

 wild boars and francoHns and hedgehogs, while in 

 Africa there are neither wild boars nor stags nor wild 

 goats nor bears. 



LXXXIV. Again, some animals harmless to natives Species 

 of the country are deadly to foreigners, for instance ^f^^g^g 

 some small snakes at Tiryns that are said to be born 

 from the earth. Similarly serpents in Syria specially 

 found about the banks of the Euphrates do not touch 

 Syrians when asleep, or even if they bite them when 

 trodden on are not felt to cause any evil effect, but 

 they are maleficent to other people of whatever race, 

 killing them voraciously and with torturing pain, on 



» XI 79, XVIII 156. 



^ Mayhoff: maleficia. 



