HALIEUTICA, II. 87-116 



soft fish and most hideous to behold, with mouth that 

 opens exceeding wide. But for him also craft devises 

 food for his belly. Wrapt himself in the slimy mud 

 he lies motionless, while he extends aloft a httle bit 

 of flesh which grows from the bottom of his jaw below, 

 fine and bright, and it has an evil breath. This he 

 waves incessantly, a snare for lesser fishes which, 

 seeing it, are fain to seize it. But the Fishing-frog 

 quietly draws it again gently quivering within his 

 mouth, and the fishes follow, not suspecting any 

 hidden guile until, ere they know it, they are caught 

 within the wide jaws of the Fishing-frog. As when a 

 man, de\ising a snare for lightsome birds, sprinkles 

 some grains of wheat before the gates of guile while 

 others he puts inside, and props up the trap ; the 

 keen desire of food draws the eager birds and they 

 pass within and no more is return or escape prepared 

 for them, but they win an evil end to their banquet ; 

 even so the weak Fishing-frog deceives and attracts 

 the fishes and they perceive not that they are hasten- 

 ing their own destruction. A like device, I have 

 heard, the cunning Fox " contrives. When she sees 

 a dense flight of birds, she lies down on her side and 

 stretches out her swift limbs and closes her eyes and 

 shuts fast her mouth. Seeing her you would say that 

 she was deep asleep or even lying quite dead : so 

 breathless she lies stretched out, contriving guile. 

 The birds, beholding, rush straightway upon her 

 in a crowd and tear her fur v\ith their feet, as if in 

 mockery. But when they come nigh her teeth, then 



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