BOOK VIII. XV. 6-xvi. 2 



pickled river-fish and any other river animals which 

 grow only to a small size. 



They observe the same seasons for coupling as other 7 

 wild birds, namely, March and the following month. 

 During these months stalks and twigs should be 

 scattered about everywhere in the bird-pens, so that 

 the birds may be able to collect them and use them to 

 build their nests. But it is most important, when 

 anyone wishes to establish a place for rearing ducks, 

 to collect the eggs of the said fowls in the region of 

 the marshes, where they usually lay, and set them 

 under farm-yard hens. For when they are hatched 

 and reared in this way they lay aside their wild nature 

 and undoubtedly breed shut up in the bird-pens. 

 If you want to hand over to custody birds which have 

 only just been caught and have been used to a life of 

 liberty, they are slow to begin to lay in captivity. 

 But enough has now been said about the care of fowls 

 which swim. 



XVI. In dealing with aquatic animals we come in Fishes. 

 due course to the management of fishes, the profitable 

 nature of which, though I regard it as far removed 

 from the business of farmers — for what things are so 

 contrary to one another as dry land and water ? — I 

 will nevertheless not pass over. Our ancestors carried 

 their zeal for this pursuit to such a pitch that they even 

 imprisoned salt-water fish in fresh water and fed the 

 grey mullet and parrot wrasse with the same care with 

 which the lamprey and the sea-pike are now reared. 

 The country-bred descendants of Romulus and Numa 2 

 of old prided themselves greatly on the fact that, if 

 life on the farm were compared with that in the town, 

 it did not fall short of it in abundance of any kind ; 



* squalumque SAa : scalumque c. 



401 



