HALIEUTICA, V. 390-410 



it : since destruction comes most swiftly upon seals 

 when they are smitten on the head. 



Moreover, the Turtles " also very often destroy 

 the spoil of the fishermen when they fall in with it 

 and become a plague to the men. To capture * it 

 is the easiest task of all for a man who is courageous 

 and of fearless soul. For if he leap into the waves 

 and turn the stony turtle on its back upon its shell, 

 no more can it avoid doom, however much it try, 

 but it floats on the surface buoyantly, struggling 

 with its feet in its desire for the sea ; and laughter 

 seizes the fishermen. And sometimes they smite it 

 with blows of iron, otherwhiles they deal with it by 

 to'wing it with ropes. And as when a boy in childish 

 frolic takes a rough mountain-roaming Tortoise and 

 turns it over and it lies upon its back and is very 

 eager to reach the ground, waving its wTinkled feet 

 and wriggling furiously its crooked knees in its 

 distress, and laughter seizes all who behold : even 

 so its kindred beast of the sea floats on its back in 

 the brine, the sport of the fishermen. 



And often it comes up to the dry land and by the 



pluribustrahi ; (-2) Diodor. ill. -20, speaking of the Aethiopian 

 Chelonophagi (Turtle-eater'^), says the Turtles spend the 

 night in deep water feeding, but by day they seek the 

 sheltered waters among the islands near the shore, where 

 they sleep on the surface with carapace towards the sun, 

 presenting the appearanee of overturned boats : oi Se rdi 

 v^croiy KarotKoi'i'Tes ^dp3apoi Kara. roCrov t'ov Kdipov Tjpffi.a 

 rposTTixoyTai rah x*^'^'''"'' irpos tKarfpov oi fupo% ir\r](nd<ravTet 

 01 fiif xUiovffiv, oi de (^atpovffii', ?ws vtttiov yeyrjrai to ^(fiOf' 

 iiTfiO' oi fiiy (^ eKarepov n,ipov% oiaKi^ovci tov 5\ov It/kov, iva (jlt) 

 ffTpaipiv rb fipoi' Kai vrj^afjufvov tQ t^s <l>vaiUK ^oriOrj/xaTi fpvyg 

 Kara /Sd^oi-j* tU 5' ^x*^** fi-VP^fOov fuiKpdv Kal S-^traj t^j ovpdi 

 vrixfrai irpos ttji' yrji' Kai Trpoc^Xxfrai fxerdyuiv to '^wov iiri Trjf 



XifXTOV. 



