BOOK IX. xxn. 55-xxiv. 57 



was walking on the shore a fish leapt out of the sea 

 at his feet, a sign which the priests interpreted as 

 meaning that although Sextus Pompeius was then 

 adopting Neptune as his father — so glorious were his 

 naval exploits, — yet those who at that time held the 

 seas would later be beneath the feet of Caesar. 



XXIII. Female fish are larger than the males. In 

 one kind there are no males at all, as is the case with 

 red muUet and sea-perch, for all those caught are 

 heavy with eggs. Ahnost every kind with scales is 

 gregarious. Fish are caught before sunrise ; at that Modes of 

 hour their sight is most fallible. In the night they '"''''i^ fi^'»- 

 repose, but on bright nights they can see as well as by 



day. People also say that scraping the bottom helps 

 the catch, and that consequently more are caught at 

 the second haul than at the first. Fish are fondest 

 of the taste of oil, but next to that they enjoy and 

 derive nourishment from moderate falls of rain : 

 in fact even reeds although growing in a marsh 

 nevertheless do not grow up without rain ; and 

 besides, fishes everywhere die when kept continually 

 in the same water, if there is no inflow. 



XXIV. All fish feel a very cold winter, but most of Hibemating 

 all those that are believed to have a stone in their ^p^"^^- 

 head, for instance the bass, the chromis, the ombre 



and the pkagrus. When the winter has been severe 

 a great many are caught bhnd. Consequently in the 

 winter months they he hidden in caves (hke cases 

 that we have recorded in the class of land-animals "), 

 particularly the hippnris'' and blackfish, which are not 

 caught in winter except on a few regular days that 

 are always the same, and also the lamprey and the 

 orphus, the conger and perch and all rockfish. It is 

 indeed reported that the electric ray, the plaice and 



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