HALIEUTICA, I. 513-537 



But neither Eels " nor Turtles nor Poulpes effect 

 their mating in this fashion, nor the dark Muraena, 

 but they have an unusual mode of union. Eels coil 

 round one another and closely ent^vined they wTithe 

 their moist bodies, and from them a fluid hke foam 

 flows and is covered by the sands ; and the mud 

 receives it and conceives, and gives birth to the 

 traiUng Eel. Such also is the generation of the 

 shppery ^ Conger. 



The Turtles greatly fear and hate their mating ; " 

 for they have no dehght or pleasure in union, as other 

 creatures have, but they have far more pain. For 

 the organ of the male is ver}^ hard, an unpelding 

 bone, which is whetted in a joyless union. Therefore 

 they fight and rend each other with their bent teeth, 

 when they come together : the females seeking to 

 avoid the rough mating, the males eager to mate, 

 willing bridegrooms of un\nlling brides ; until the 

 male by his strength prevails and makes her perforce 

 his mate, hke a captive bride, the prize of war. The 

 mating of Dogs on land is similar to that of Turtles 

 in the sea : similar also is that of Seals ** ; for all of 

 those remain a long time coupled rearwards, fast 

 bound as by a chain. 



For the Poulpe « his deadly mating goes with 

 bitter destruction and union consummated is con- 



festucam aliquara imponat aversae. For mode of mating. 

 A. 540 a 28 to. niv yap i-Ki^aivovTa . . . olov x^^^''V "''*' V 

 OaXaTrla Koi i) "xepffaia ; Plin. ix. lo8 Testudines in coitu 

 superveniunt. 



** A. 540 a 23 oxei-frai 5^ koL •^ ^wki; KaOdvep to. dtriffdovpnqriKa 

 tQv ^(fiwv Kai awexovTai 4v rrj oxeLq. iroXiV )(p6voi', Cxrirep Kai at 

 Kvves' fxoi"''' 3^ ■''o a^Soiov fj-iya. ol dppeves ; Plin. ix, 41 (vitiiliis 

 marinus) in coitu canum modo cohaeret. 



* This passage is paraphrased Ael. vi. 28. C/. A. 

 622 a 14 flF. ; Athen. 316 c ff. 



8 257 



