HALIEUTIGA, I. 538-560 



sunimated death : for he does not abstain or cease 

 from his desire, until he is spent and strength for- 

 sakes his Hmbs and he himself falls exhausted on 

 the sand and perishes. For all that come nigh devour <* 

 him — the timid Hermit-crab and the Crabs and 

 other fishes which he himself formerly was wont to 

 banquet on, easily stealing upon them ; by these he 

 is now devoured, still ahve but lying helplessly, and 

 making no resistance, until he dies. By such a death, 

 the sad fruit of desire, he perishes. And even so 

 the female * like^^'ise perishes, exhausted by the 

 travail of birth. For their eggs do not issue forth 

 separately, as \^ith other fishes, but, clustered 

 together like grapes,'' they pass with difficulty 

 through the narrow channel. Wherefore the Poulpes 

 never Uve beyond the measure of a year ** ; for always 

 they perish by dreadest mating and dreadest travail 

 of birth. 



Touching the Muraena there is a not obscure 

 report * that a Serpent mates with her, and that the 

 Muraena herself comes forth from the sea wilUngly, 

 eager mate to eager mate. The bitter Serpent, 

 M'hetted by the fiery passion ^^■ithin him, is frenzied 

 for mating and drags himself nigh the shore ; and 

 anon he espies a holloAV rock and therein vomits forth 



• Plin. ix. 76 (Murenas) in sicca litora elapsas valgus 

 coitu serpentiura impleri putat. Oppian's lines are para- 

 phrased Ael. i. 50, ix. 66. Cf. Nicand. T. 823 ff. (with 

 schol. ad loc.), whose lines are quoted by Athen. 31-2 d, 

 where it is said that the story was rejected by Andreas 

 but accepted by Sostratus ; Phil. 81. Hence the point of 

 the lines of Matron the parodist ap. Athen. 136h /xvpaLvav 

 5' eT-f6r]K€ (p^pwv ... I ^wv-qv d' ^v (popeeuKev . . . j et'j \^x°^ 

 tivik' l^aive ApaKovTidSy fxcyadv/Kf!. For Murena coming 

 ashore, A. o« a -28 ; Plin. ix. 73. 



259 



