HALIEUTICA, I. 489-512 



the shores, bringing doom to other fishes on which 

 they feast ; others again run before the shoals of 

 females by whom they are pursued, since drawn by 

 the passion of desire the females haste after the 

 males " with rush incontinent. Then the males, 

 rubbing belly against belly,* discharge behind them 

 the moist milt ; and the females, goaded by desire, 

 rush to gobble <= it up M-ith their mouths ; by such 

 mating they are filled with roe. This is the most 

 common custom among fishes, but others there are 

 which have separate and apart their ovm beds and 

 bridal chambers and wedded wives ; for there is 

 much Passion among fishes and Desire and Jealousy, 

 that grievous god, and all that hot Love brings forth, 

 when he stirs fierce tmnult in the heart. Many 

 quarrel with one another and fight over a mate, hke 

 unto wooers who about a bride gather many and 

 well-matched and contend in wealth and beauty. 

 These weapons the fish have not, but strength and 

 jaws and sawiike teeth within : with these they 

 enter the hsts and arm themselves to win a mate ; 

 and he who excels with these, wins at once both 

 victory and mate. And some delight in more mates 

 than one to share their bed, to wit, the race of the 

 Sargue ** and the dusky Merle * ; others love and 

 attend a single mate, as the Black Sea-bream ^ and 

 the Aetnaeus ^ and dehght not in more than one. 



* A. 541 all i) Se tQv c^otokuv IxOuwv ox^ici JfTTov yivtrai 

 KaTa.drfXo'i' diowep ol wXeiaTOi vofd^ovffi irXijpovffOai to, ^■^Xea ruv 

 dppivdjv dvaKCLiTTovTa rbv dopw. 



"* C. ii. 433 n. ' //. iv. 173 n. f 11. iii. 338 n, 



' Ael. i. 13 6 -yoOv airvauos oirrw Xeyofxevos, iirdv 7-g eaiToO 

 ffwvofjUf) oiovd ya/jATTi rivi ffvvSvacrOeis K\r)p<l:aTyTai to X^oi, 

 dXXjjs ovx aiTTeTai ; cf. Phil. 53. Not identified. 



255 



