OPPIAN 



Phycis blennioides, and the Mediterranean Hake, P. 

 mediterranea, have). But it seems probable that in 

 Aristotle I.e. either 6vo<; should be omitted, as Plin. 

 ix. 144 omits it, or that pa^Sererai should not be 

 extended to it. Bussemaker makes ovos Gmlus 

 mustela L., ovtV/cos, Gadus merlangus L. 



This is a convenient place to explain Oppian, H. i. 

 151 fF. "Among these also is numbered the Hake, 

 which beyond all fishes shrinks from the bitter assault 

 of the Dog-star in summer, and remains retired 

 within his dark recess and comes not forth so long as 

 the breath of the fierce star prevails." The origin 

 of this passage is A. 599 b 33 cjnoXei Sf Kal 6 ovos kuI 

 6 xpv(ro<ppvi' (Trjiii.lov Sc ^oKel elvai rov rhv oi^ov TrAeicrTov 

 (fxoXeii' ^^povov TO 8ta TrXeuTTOv )(^p6vov akt(rK€(r6aL. tov 

 Se Kal dkpovi rovs Ix^^^ (ftwXeiv SoKel (rrip.€iov eivai rh 

 €irl Tois acTTpoi'i yivicrdat ra<i aA(oo"eis koI paXicna €7ri 

 Kvvi,' TrjViKavTa yap avaTpkirea-dai rijv ddXaTTav oirep 

 kv Tw Bocr7r6p(f) yvcopLfiwraTov eo^Ttv r) ya^ IXvs liravw 

 yu'erat Kal iTri(f)epovTai ot Ixdves. A. and W. under- 

 stand fTTt TOIS acTT/Dois to mean " at the setting " of 

 certain constellations and the Oxford translation 

 " between the rise and setting of certain constella- 

 tions " is no improvement. It means "at the rising 

 of the constellations " as Pliny ix. 58 rightly under- 

 stood ; Quidam rursus aestus impatientia mediis 

 fervoribus sexagenis diebus latent, ut glaucus, asellus, 

 auratae. Fluviatilium silurus caniculae exorlu side- 

 ratur . . . et alioqui totum mare sentit exoHitm eius 

 sideris, quod maxime in Bosporo apparet. Alga enim 

 et pisces superferuntur omniaque ab imo versa. The 

 meaning is that the hiding of the oVos in summer is 

 indicated by the fact that when the sea is turned up 

 by stormy weather catches of this fish occur. Cf. 



Ixvi 



