HALIEUTICA, IV. 165-186 



with branches of tamarisk <» or green leaves of 

 arbutus or other foliage and place them on the sandy 

 beaches. And the Cuttle-fishes in their desire for 

 breeding and mating hasten within the weel and 

 settle amid the foliage and there cease from their 

 desire and cease also from their ^VTCtched Hfe, being 

 haled up by the cunning fishermen. 



Beyond all the finny brood the Merle-wrasse ^ 

 endures a sorrowful love and it is for the Thrush- 

 wTasse that he burns his heart, raging A\ith frenzy 

 and with jealousy, that grievous god. The Merle 

 has neither one marriage-bed nor one bride nor one 

 bridal chamber, but many are his spouses and many 

 separate clefts hide the home and bed of his wives. 

 Therein evermore the Thrushes dwell all day in 

 their hollow retreats, Hke newly wedded brides, 

 whom one would never see coming forth from their 

 chamber ; but nuptial shame burns in their hearts ; 

 even so the Thrushes always abide retired each one 

 within her chamber, wherever her husband himself 

 commands. The Merle, on the other hand, sits by 

 upon the rocks and never leaves them, ever keeping 

 watch over his bed, and he never turns otherwhere 

 but all day wheels about, now looking to this chamber, 



wrvep KlyXi}. The «X'^'? is mentioned separately Nicandr. 

 ap. Athen. 305 d as irokvwwiws, cf. Pancrat. ih'id. 303 c ; also 

 Epicharm. ih'id., A. 605 a 17, 598 all; Plin. xxxii. 9 turdus 

 inter saxatiles nobilis. The Kbc<jv<po% is mentioned separately, 

 Phil. 99; Plin. xxx. 11 merula inter saxatiles laudata; Ov. 

 Hal. 114 raerulaeque virentes; Ael. i. 14 and 15. They are 

 clearly closely allied species of Wrasse {Lahridae, M.G. 

 ■werpoxpapo, xetXos). In M.G. kot<tv(()l is Crenilahrus paro ; 

 Klx^a is Coricus rostratus. Oppian seems to take Kbc<Tv<po% 

 and Kix\r) to be merely the male and female of the same 

 species, and Aelian, II. re, in paraphrasing Oppian, mentions 

 the K6(Tcv<f>os only. 



2e 417 



