BOOK X.] History of Nature. 233 



People of Rome regarded the ready Wit of this Bird a suffi- 

 cient Cause to justify a sumptuous Funeral, and also to 

 excuse the Murder of a Citizen of Rome in that City, 

 wherein many Princes have died, and no IV3an solemnized 

 their Funerals : one Instance of which is, that no one 

 avenged the Death of Scipio JEmiUanus, after he had de- 

 stroyed both Carthage and Numantia. This happened the 

 fifth Day before the Calends of April, in the Year when 

 M. Svrvilius and C. Cestius were Consuls. Even at this 

 Time, when I am writing, there is in the City of Rome a 

 Crow (Comix) belonging to a Roman Knight, who brought 

 it from Bsetica, which was an admirable Bird for the 

 exceeding black Colour of its Feathers, and also for pro- 

 nouncing many Words formed into a Sentence ; and it learns 

 more and more every Day. It is not long since that there 

 arose a Report of a Man in Erizena, a Country of Asia, 

 whose Name was Craterus Motioceros : who used to hunt by 

 the Help of Ravens, which he carried with him into the 

 Woods, perching upon his Shoulders and his Hunting- 

 horns : and these would seek out and put up others, and 

 bring them to him in their Company ; so that when he 

 returned homeward out of the Forest, the wild ones 'also 

 would accompany him. Some have thought it worth the 

 setting upon Record, that a Raven was seen, when she was 

 thirsty, to cast Stones into the Bucket belonging to a 

 Sepulchre, in which there was some Rain-water remaining,* 

 but which he was not able to reach: and being afraid to go 

 down into it, he thrust in so many Stories that he was enabled 

 to drink as much as he pleased. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

 Of the Birds of Diomedes. 



NEITHER will I pass over the Birds (called) Diomedeae, 1 

 which Juba nameth Cataractae ; and he says they have 



1 This appears to be Lestris cataractes, Cuv. ; Skua, or a kindred 

 species. ^Elian speaks of it as a kind of Heron : B. i. ch. i. Wern. 

 Club. 



