HALIEUTICA, II. 233-250 



Poulpes, which make themselves like " in appearance 

 to the rocks, even whatsoever rock they embrace 

 and entwine with their tentacles. By their deceits 

 they easily mislead and escape fishers alike and 

 stronger fishes. When a weaker fish meets them 

 near at hand, straightway they leap forth from their 

 stony form and appear as veritable Poulpes and fishes, 

 and by their craft contrive food and escape destruc- 

 tion. But in winter, they say, the Poulpes never 

 travel over the waters of the sea ; for they fear the 

 fierce storms. But sitting in their hollow chambers 

 they cower, and devour their own feet * as if they 

 were aUen flesh. These feet, when they have glutted 

 their owners, grow again : this gift, I ween, Poseidon 

 has given them. Such a device is used also by the 

 fierce and gluttonous Bears.*' For they, shunning 

 winter's threat, retreat into the rocky covert of their 

 lair, where they lick their own feet, a fasting feast, 



animals also escape detection by a very extraordinary 

 chameleon-like power of changing their colour. They 

 appear to vary their tints according to the nature of the 

 ground over which they pass ; when in deep water their 

 general shade was brownish-purple, but when placed on the 

 land, or in shallow water, this dark tint changed into one of 

 a yellowish-green," etc. 



* Cf. C. iii. 176 fF, ; Hesiod, W. 52i tj/mti xe^fiep'i-V o^' avoffreo^ 

 [i.e. "the Boneless," Hesiod's allusive way of referring to 

 the Poulpe, which has no bony skeleton: A. 524 b 28 oi 5f 

 iroXiTToSes ovk Ixoi'crti' Icro; ffrepebv toiovtov ovSev. For such 

 allusive expressions, in place of the ordinary name, see 

 Hesod, A. W. Mair, Oxford, 1908, Introd. pp. xv. ff.] 3;/ 

 irj5a r^fSei | ^v r' aTrvpqi oIkc^ Kai ijdecri Xeir-zaXtoicn ; Plut. 

 Mor. 965 f; Ael. i. 27, xiv. 26; Antig. 21 ; Phil. 102. 5 ff. ; 

 Athen. 316 (who quotes allusions to the beUef by Alcaeus, 

 Pherecrat,, and Diphilus;; Plin. ix. 87; A. 591 a 4 5 5^ 

 Xiyovffi Tivei, <hs aiirbs avTOv eadUi, \f/ev86s iffTiv d\X' dreSriSefifvai 

 exov^nv ivioi raJ TrXeKTavas vtrb tCiv yoYypdiv. 



« G. iii. 174 n. 



X 305 



