CYNEGETICA, II. 610-628 



between both, but they love the one and hate and 

 are angered at the other ; and he perishes in the 

 very arms of his parents. 



Neither of a truth -will minstrels sing the earth- 

 born tribes of the Moles," eaters of grass '' and blind," 

 albeit a rumour not to be believed has spread among 

 men that the Moles boast themselves sprung from 

 the blood of a king, even of Phineus,** whom a famous 

 Thraeian hill nurtured. Against Phineus once on a 

 time was the Titan Phaethon angered, wroth for the 

 victory of prophet Phoebus, and robbed him of his 

 sight and sent the shameless tribes of the Harpies, 

 a winged race to dwell ^v^th him to his sorrow. But 

 when the two glorious sons of Boreas, even Zetes 

 and Calais, voyaged on the ship Argo in quest of 

 the golden prize, assisting Jason, then did they take 

 compassion on the old man and slew that tribe and 

 gave his poor lips sweet food. But not even so did 

 Phaethon lull his wrath to rest, but speedily turned 

 him into the race of Moles which were before not ; 

 wherefore even now the race remains blind and 

 gluttonoxis of food. 



* While T. europaea and T. caeca are insectivorous, S. 

 typhlns is entirely vegetarian. 



"= The eyes of T. europaea, though rudimentarj', are 

 visible externally ; those of T. caeca and *S\ typhlus are not. 

 A. 4-91 b -29 SXojs fiev yap ovd' bpq. (6 aairdXa^) ovr ?x" f*'s 

 TO <t>av€p'ov 87)\ovs d(p6a\fj.ov$. Cf. 533 a 3 ; i>e an. -1-25 a 10 ; 

 Plin. xi. 139 quadrupedum talpis \isus non est : oculorum 

 eflSgies inest, siquis praetentam detrahat membranam. 



■^ Phineus of Salmydessus in Thrace was blinded of both 

 eyes and afflicted by the Harpies until these were destroyed 

 by Zebes and Calais (Find. P. iv. 182), the sons of Boreas ; 

 ApoUod. i. 9. 21 ; Ap. Rh. ii, 176 ff . ; Verg. A. iii. 225 ff. 

 The connexion of Phineus with the mole seems to be 

 peculiar to Oppian. 



Ill 



