BOOK IX.] History of Nature. 129 



Swiftness, that they will fling themselves sometimes over 

 the Ships from one Side to the other. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

 Of Presages by Fishes, and of their Diversity. 



THERE are also in this Portion of Nature, Auguries: 

 there is Prescience even among Fishes. During the Sicilian 

 War, as Augustus walked along the Shore, a Fish leapt out 

 of the Sea and fell at his Feet; the Prophet (Vates) con- 

 cluding from this Circumstance, that although Sextus Pom- 

 peius was at that Time the adopted of Father Neptune (so 

 great was his naval Glory), yet those who had to this Time 

 held the Power of the Sea were about to fall below the 

 Feet of CcBsar. 



Female Fishes are larger than the Males. And there are 

 some Sorts of them of which there are altogether no Males; 

 as the Erythini, 1 and the Chani : for they are taken always 

 heavy with Spawn. 



Scaly Fishes for the most part swim in Schuls, each ac- 

 cording to its Kind. The Fishing is before the Sun is up; 

 for then Fishes are most liable to be deceived in their Sight. 

 If the Nights are bright, they see as well then as by Day. 

 They affirm it is good fishing twice in the same Gulf; for so 

 more are caught in the second Cast than by the first. Fishes 

 greatly delight in the Taste of Oil ; and next to this, in 

 gentle Showers ; and with these they become fat. For Reeds, 



1 Erythini: more properly, Erythrini. Chani. Cuvier supposes 

 the former to be probably the Serranus scriba: the latter certainly is 

 Serranus cabrilla. The following quotation from the second edition of 

 Mr. Yarrell's "History of British Fishes" (vol. i. p. 13) will illustrate 

 the question, hitherto generally received in the affirmative, of the herma- 

 phroditism of these fishes : " Since the publication of the first edition of 

 this work, Mr. Couch has been kind enough to send me the roes of two 

 specimens of this Serranus (Cabrilla). These, on examination, contained 

 true ova only ; and Mr. Owen, of the College of Surgeons, whose micro- 

 scope was used on this occasion, agreed with me, that although these 

 organs were of small size, there was nothing equivocal either in the 

 structure or appearance." Wern. Club. 



VOL. III. K 



