BOOK X. Lxiv. 130-LXV111. 133 



LXIV. The long-legged plover has the same, a tiw 

 much smaller bird although with equally long legs. ^»'"»"'''?^- 

 It is born in Egypt. It stands on three toes of each 

 foot. Itsfoodconsistschiefly of flies. Whenbrought 

 to Italy it hves only for a fev/ days. 



LXV. All the heavier birds feed also on grain, but Fiesh-diei 

 the scaring species on flesh only, and so among "/'"'■'^- 

 aquatic birds the cormorants, who regularly devour 

 what the rest disgorge. 



LXVI. PeUcans have a resemblance to swans, and Thepeiican. 

 would be thought not to differ from them at all 

 were it not that they have a kind of second stomach 

 in their actual throats. Into this the insatiable 

 creature stows everything, so that its capacity is 

 marvellous. Afterwards when it has done plundering 

 it gradually returns the things from this pouch into 

 its mouth and passes them into the true stomach Hke 

 a ruminant animal. These birds come to us from the 

 extreme north of Gaul. 



LXVII. We have been told of strange kinds oi oiher 

 birds in the Hercynian Forest « of Germany whose llZl'"^^' 

 feathers shine Uke fires at night-time ; but in the 

 other forests nothing noteworthy occurs beyond the 

 notoriety caused by remoteness. The most cele- 

 brated water-bird in Parthian Seleucia and in Asia 

 is the phalaris-duck, the most celebrated bird in 

 Colchis the pheasant — it droops and raises its two 

 feathered ears — and in the Numidian part of Africa 

 the Numidic fowl* ; all of these are now found in 

 Italy. 



LXVIII. Apicius, the most gluttonous gorger ofRarebirds 

 all spendthrifts, estabhshed the view that the •^'^ '^' "^''* 

 flamingo's tongue has a specially fine flavour. The 

 francoUn of lonia is extremely famous. NormaUy it is 



377 



