BOOK X. xcv. 203-205 



that there are also certain senses other than those 

 mentioned above. 



For animals have certain kinds of warfare and of HosHHty 

 friendships, and the feelings that result fi-om them, sped^. 

 besides the various facts that we have stated about 

 each species in their places. There are quarrels 

 between swans and eagles ; between the raven and 

 the golden oriole " when searching for one another's 

 eggs by night ; similarly between the raven and the 

 kite when the former snatches the latter's food 

 before he can get it ; between crows and owls, the 

 eagle and the gold-crest — if we can beheve it, as the 

 eagle is called the king of birds ; between owls and 

 the other smaller birds ; again birds with land 

 animals — the weasel and the crow, the turtle-dove 

 and the pyrallis, ichneumon-flies and spiders ; the 

 water-birds brenthos and gull and goshawk and 

 buzzard ; shrewmice and herons lying in wait 

 for each other's young ; that very tiny bird the 

 titmouse ^ with the ass, which by rubbing itself 

 against thorns for the sake of scratching dislodges 

 the nests of the titmouse, which is so scared that 

 when it merely hears the sound of an ass braying 

 it throws its eggs out of the nest, and the chicks 

 themselves in fear fall out, and consequently the 

 bird flies at the ass and hollows out its sores 

 with its beak ; foxes and kites ; snakes and weasels 

 and pigs. There is a small bird called the aesalon 

 that breaks a raven's eggs, whose chicks are preyed 

 upon by foxes, and it retaliates by pecking the fox- 

 cubs and the vixen herself; when the ravens see 

 this they come to their aid against the aesalon as 

 against a common foe. Also the gold-fincli lives 

 in thorn-bushes and consequently it also hates asses 



423 



