HALIEUTICA, III. 104-125 



bounds of the corks <» and escapes from doom. But 

 if at his first upward rush he sHps back again into the 

 net, he makes no further effort and leaps no more 

 in his grief but taught by trial, ceases from his 

 endeavours. As when a man, long distressed by 

 painful disease, at first, in his yearning and desire 

 for hfe, obeys the physicians and does all things that 

 they bid him ; but when the unescapable fates of 

 death prevail, he cares no more for life but hes 

 stretched out, gi\'ing over to death his exhausted 

 limbs, beholding already at hand the final day of 

 fate ; even so the Grey Mullet knows what manner 

 of end is come upon him and Ues prone, awaiting 

 doom from his captor. 



The Muraena,* when they are caught in the net, 

 circle about in the enclosure seeking for a wide mesh 

 and through it making their way, after the manner 

 of snakes, ^\^th shppery limbs they all escape. 



The Basse " digs \\-ith its fins in the sand a trench 

 large enough to admit its body and lays itself therein 

 as in a bed. And the fishermen bring down to the 

 shore a net but the Basse by simply lying in the mud 

 gladly avoids them and escapes the net of destruction. 



ffT]fieta a-fKvpaii Kal Slktvois ' raiTrji rrjs Spvbs [Querctis suher] 

 Tov (pXoibv fiWoi re 'luivijjv Kal Y-ptxr^ffidva.^ 6 to. {\fye7a xoiTjffas 

 (peWbv ovo/xd^oi'ffiv ; Plut. Mor. 127 D Sttwj, kclv -jriecrOrj irore, 

 (peWov diKriv virb Kov<f)6TT)TOi afa(p€p-riTai ; Poll. i. 97 ; x. 133. 



* Ael. i. 33 OTav Si airrrjv rb SIktvov Trepi^dXrj, SiavTJXfrai Kal 

 fijret ij Ppbxov dpaiov i) pr/yp-a rod 8iktvov irdw ao4>u)S • koi 

 ivTVXOvffa ToiovTcov Tivl Kal SieKSvffa iXevd^pa vrjxtTai aZ'di% ' ei 

 Si Tvxoi fua TTJaSe Trjs eixppuas, Kdl at Xoiiral o<rai tov avrov yevovs 

 ffvi/taXioKacn Kara, ttjv tKeivr)^ (pvyr)v i^iaaiv, wr bSov Tiva Xa^ovaai 

 rap' Ttyefiovoi. 



' Plut, Mor. 977 f uxrwep t<^ Xd^paKi " crvpofUvTjv {tt}v 

 aayqvqv) yap aladavop-evo^ ^iq. 5dffTr)(n Kal Tvirrti KOiXaivtav 

 ToCSa^os' 5x01* 5^ Tot^crj rats exiSpopxiTs tov Siktvov x^po-v, Hoiaev 

 iavrbv Kal xpoaexfrat, ft-ixp^ &'' trapiXOrj, 



355 



