OPPIAN 



rexi^'qs, ot Trirpr^aiv ofxouoi ivSaAAoi/rat, 

 rrjv K€ TrorLTTrv^ojOL Tvepl aTreLprjs re jSaAcovrat. 

 dvSpas S' aypevTTJpas ofjitog /cat Kpiaaovas Ix^^S 

 pr^'Ch iojs a.7rdrr]ac TrapaTrXdy^avreg dXv^av. 

 aAA' ore yeiporepos tls eTTLax^^ov avrijioXr^ar^, 

 avTLKa TTovXvTToSes T€ Kal l^dves i^e(f)dvr]aav, 

 IJbop(f>rjg TTerpairjs l^dXp^evoL, €k Se SoAoto 

 (jiop^T^v r i<f)pdaaavro Kal e^iqXv^av oXedpov. 

 X€tp,aTL S' ovTTore <f)acrlv eTnareix^iv dXos vScop 

 TTOvXvTToBas ' ^a/xei/et? yap VTTOTpopieovcrLv ae'AAas" 

 dAA' ot ye yXa(f)vpfjaiv euLl,6fj,epoL 9aXdp,r]aL 

 Tnrj^avreg Sawui^Tat eovs TroSa?, rfvre adpKas 

 dXXorpias' ot 8' avrig eovs Kopeaavres dvaKrag 

 <f>vovTaL' ToSe ttov a<f)i Iloaei,Sd(ov irrevevae. 

 rolov /cat ^Xoavpfjaiv detp^dpyoiai vo-qpia 

 dpKTOLS' xet/ie/atTjt' yap dAucr/ca^oucrat opLOKXiqv, 

 hvaai <j>o)Xeiolo p.vxov Kara Trerprjevra 

 ov vroSa Xixp-dt^ovaiv , eSrjrvos epyov aTraoTov, 



■ A. 622 a 8 Orjpevei rovs ix^^s to xp'^f^"- M-^ra^dWwt' Kal 

 TToiCjv o/jiOLov oU av irXrjtndi^r] Xldois; P. A. 679 a 12, Mirab. 

 832 b 14 ; Pint. Mor. 978 d tCov TroXwoSwv t^s xp^°-^ ttjv 

 &,ix.ei\piv 6 re IliVSapos irepi^briTov ireiroiriKev elirdv " woptiov drjpos 

 XP^tI fidXiara vbov wpoaipepujv wdaais iro\iea<nv 6fj.i\ei" (fr. 43) 

 Kal QeoyvLS (215) ofioicos " TrovXinrodos voov Icrx^ iroXvxpiiov, 6s ttotc 

 virpTj Trjirep dfiiXriar], tolos ISelv i<pdv7]"; Athen. 316 f, 513 d; 

 Lucian, De salt. c. 67 ; Ael. V.H. i. 1 ; Dionys. I)e A. i. 9 ; 

 Phil. 103. 13; Antig. 25 and 30; Plin. ix. 29; Ov. Hal. 30 

 At contra scopelis crinali corpore segnis | Polypus haeret et 

 hac eludit retia fraude | Et sub lege loci sumit mutatque 

 colorem, j Semper ei similis quem contigit. Charles Darwin, 

 in his Journal of Researches (H.M.S. Beagle), c. i. tells how 

 in 1832 at St. lago in the Cape de Verd archipelago he was 

 interested in observing the habits of an Octopus : "These 



304 



