HALIEUTICA, IV. 514^539 



seas and, tiny though they be, will not abide where 

 they were born. There is a tract of the Thracian 

 sea which, as men say, is the deepest in all the 

 demesne of Poseidon : wherefore also it is called the 

 Black Gulf." Thereon no over-fierce or violent winds 

 make assault, and in it are coverts under water, 

 cavernous, muddy, beyond thought, in which grow 

 abundantly such things as proAide food for tiny fishes. 

 There are the first paths of the new-born swarms of 

 Pelamyds ; since beyond all other creatures of the 

 sea they dread the stormy onset of winter — for winter 

 dulls the light of their eyes. And there in the spacious 

 loins of the sea they hnger idly and grow in size while 

 they await the sweet spring ; and there also they 

 mate and fulfil their desire. But when they are full 

 of roe they hasten to travel back to their native wave 

 where they put from them the travail of their belly. 

 These the Thracians who dwell above * the deep 

 expanse of the Black Gulf capture in the unkindly 

 season of winter by a cruel and unpleasant form of 

 fishing under the bloody law of war and savage doom 

 of death.* They have a stout log, not long but as 

 thick as may be, about a cubit in length. On the end 

 of it are put abundant lead and many three-pronged 

 spears set close together ; and about it runs a well- 

 twisted cable exceeding long. SaiUng up in a boat 



€v St^iq Si Tov yifXava koXttov, KaXovnevov oitwj tiTro rod MeXovos 

 iK5iS6vTot ei's avrov. Cf. Strab. 28, 92, 124, 323, 331, etc.; 

 Plin.'iv. 43 A Dorisco incurvatur ora ad Macron tichos cxii. 

 passus, circa qucm locum fliivius Melas a quo sinus 

 appellatur. Oppida . . . Macron tichos {}\aKf>bv relxo^] 

 dictum quia a Propontide ad Melanem sinum inter duo 

 maria porrectus mums procurrentem exciudit Cherronesum. 



» i.e., N. of. 



* Ael. XV. 10 describes a method of catching Pelamyds 

 which is not identical with either of Oppian's methods. 



44.3 



