HALIEUTICA, II. 367-392 



jaws, but his labour is all in vain. For despite his 

 eagerness he cannot reach the flesh within ynih his 

 devouring teeth ; so rough a pile surrounds the 

 Hedgehog ; who, hke a round boulder, wheels his 

 shifty limbs, rolling turn on turn, and falls upon the 

 coils of the Serpent and wounds him mth the sharp 

 arrows of his bristles ; and here and there flows the 

 bloody ichor" and many wounds torment the Serpent. 

 Then the clammy Snake girds the Hedgehog all about 

 with his circUng coil and in the embrace of his 

 grievous bonds holds him and bites and puts therein 

 the strength of anger. Then swiftly all the sharp- 

 bristling spines of the Hedgehog glide into him ; 

 yet, impaled upon the prickles, he abates not his 

 effort though fettered against his will, but remains 

 fast as if held by strong dowels, until he dies ; and 

 often by his pressure he destroys the beast as well, 

 and they become doom and bane to one another. 

 But often, too, the dread Hedgehog gets away and 

 escapes, slipping from the reptile and his darksome 

 fetter, bearing still upon his spines the flesh of the 

 dead Serpent. In hke fashion also the Muraena 

 perishes by a foolish doom, to the Crayfish an eager 

 and welcome feast. 



The Crayfish again, prickly though he be and swift, 

 is devoured by the Poulpe,* albeit he is weaker and 

 sluggish of motion. For when the Poulpe remarks 

 him under the rocks sitting all motionless, stealthily 



perspiration was but ichor | Or some such other spiritual 

 liquor." 



* Ael. ix. 25 Kapa^os -Fokinrodi ix0p6%' t6 5^ atriov, orav avri^ 

 Tos TXeACTcxj'ai ire/H/SdXij, twv h€v eirl rod vdjTov iKire(pvK6Twv 

 airrtjJ Kevrpwv Troielrai oidffuav Cipa.v, iaxrrbv Se xeptxear airrc/J 

 ii TviyfjM ^Txei' raOra 6 Kapa^os ffa<pu)s olStv /cat dirodiSpcuTKfi 

 airdp. 



315 



