HALIEUTICA, I. 56W588 



his baneful venom, the fierce bile of his teeth, a 

 deadly store, that he may be mild and serene to 

 meet his bride. Standing on the shore he utters his 

 hissing note, his mating call ; and the dusky Muraena 

 quickly hears his cry and speeds swifter than an 

 arrow. She stretches her from the sea, he from the 

 land treads the grey surf, and, eager to mate with 

 one another, the two embrace, and the panting bride 

 receives with open mouth the Serpent's head. Then, 

 exulting over their union, she goes back again to her 

 haunts in the sea, while he makes his trailing way 

 to the land, where he takes in again his venom, 

 lapping up that which before he shed and discharged 

 from his teeth. But if he find not that bile — which 

 some wayfarer, seeing it for what it is, has washed 

 away with torrents of water — then indignant he 

 dashes his body, till he finds the doom of a sad and 

 unthought-of death, ashamed to be a Serpent when 

 he is left defenceless of the weapons in which he 

 trusted, and on the rock with his lost venom he loses 

 his life. 



Dolphins <* mate after the manner of men, and the 

 organs with which they are equipped are quite human- 

 hke ; the male organ is not always visible but is 

 hidden "within and extended on occasion of mating. 



Such are the loves and mating among fishes. And 

 others at other season * they desire to mate and 

 bring forth their young ; for some summer, for some 

 \vinter, for others spring or waning autumn brings 

 birth. And some — the greatest part — are in travail 

 of a single brood a year, but the Basse is twice '' 



' A. 5-1--2 b 32 ofioiui Se Kai tQu ixdi'Ui' oi TrXeZoTot djra^ 

 {tLktovo-iv) olov oi xi'J'oi . . . xXjji' 6 Xd^pa^' ovtos Se Sii tovtuv 

 fxoyos. Cf. 567 b 18 ; Plin. ix. 162 ; Ael. x. 2 ; Athen. 310 f. 



261 



