HALIEUTICA, II. 531^-556 



sea, pluming themselves eminently on their valiance 

 and beauty and their swift speed in the water ; for 

 like an arrow they fly through the sea, and fiery and 

 keen is the hght which they flash from their eyes, and 

 they deser}', I ween, any fish that cowers in a cleft 

 or \\Taps itself beneath the sands. Even as the 

 Eagles " are lords among the lightsome birds or Lions 

 amid ravenous A^ild beasts, as Serpents are most 

 excellent among reptiles, so are Dolphins leaders 

 among fishes. Them as they come no fish dares to 

 approach nor any to look them in the face, but they 

 tremble from afar at the dread leaps and snorting 

 breath of the lord of fishes. When the Dolphins set 

 out in quest of food, they huddle ^ before them all 

 the infinite flocks of the sea together, driWng them in 

 utter rout ; they fill \\'ith terror every path of the sea, 

 and shady covert and low ra\-ine, and the havens and 

 the bays of the shore are straitened >\'ith fishes 

 huddUng from every side ; and the Dolphin devours 

 whichsoever he will, choosing the best of the infinite 

 fishes at hand. 



But, notwithstanding, even the Dolphins have foes 

 who meet their encounter, the fish called Amia,* 

 which care not for the Dolphin but alone fight them 

 face to face. These have a weaker body than the 



cpfi'-yovTes TifiirXaffi fivxovs Xifi^vos fv6p/iov, | SeiSiorej" fidXa ydp 

 re Kanadin 5v ice Xd^rjcri.i' ; Hesiod, i!>c. 211 doioi 5' ava- 

 <pv(n6ci}VTfs j apyvpfoi deXipives icpoiT^av #XXoiraj ix^vs \ tQiv 5' firo 

 xdX/ceiot Tpiov ixOves ; Apost. p. W " 11 est facile de se rendre 

 corapte de la presence du poisson en ecoutant le bruit que 

 font les dauphins qui le poursuivent a la surface de 

 I'eau." 



' Pelamysgarda, M.G. iraXafivda (Apost. p. 14), the Bonito. 

 C/. A. 598 a 2-2, 601b 21, etc.; Athen. 277e-278d, 324- d ; 

 Plin. ix. 49 Amiam vocant cuius incrementum singulis 

 diebus intelligitur. 



331 



