and Giants of the Ancients. 205 



They do not mention them as fishes either of Greece or Italy ; 

 and I beheve no species of this family is now found in the 

 rivers of those countries. With regard to the male {Silunis 

 giants) protecting its fry, I am not aware whether any modern 

 observer has recorded this circumstance. It is well known that 

 some male members of the Silurid^ make nests and watch over 

 their eggs and young ones, like the sticklebacks of this country. 

 Dr. Hancock has described two species of the genus Doras 

 (the round-headed and flat-headed hassars of Demerara) which 

 evince great care for their young ; and I believe Agassiz has 

 noticed the same thing in two other genera of the same family. 

 The males of Arius Jissus and A. Co7nmersonu carry the e2,'gs 

 in their mouth, the latter species even hatching them there. 

 The peasants of Wallachia say that the males of Silurus glanis 

 protect their yoiuig. 



There is one more passage which requires a little considera- 

 tion. In this one it is certain that the name silurus does not 

 stand for any of the Siluridje, but must mean a stm-geon. 

 Even at the risk of disturbing the manes of J. C. Scaliger and 

 Cardan I maintain that the silurus of the Moselle as sung of 

 by Ausonius can be nothing else than a sturgeon. 



Here are Ausonius's lines : — 



Nunc pecus aequoreum celebrabere magna Silure : 

 Quern velut Acta30 perductum tergora olivo 

 Amuieolam Delphina reor ; sic per freta magnum 

 Laberis, et lougi vix corporis agmiua solvis 

 Aut brevibus defensa vadis, aut fluminis ulvis : 

 Aut cum trauquillos moliris in amne meatus, 

 Te virides ripae, te cserula turba uatantura, 

 Te liquidae mirantur aquae : diifuuditur alveo 

 ^stus, et extremi procurrunt margine fluctus. 

 Talis Atlantiaco quondam Bala^na profundo, 

 Cum vento motuve sue telluris ad oras 

 Pellitur, exclusum fundit mare, magnaque surgunt 

 ^Equora, vicinique timeut decrescere montes. 

 Hie tamen, hie nostra) mitis Balaena Mosellse, 

 Exitio procul est, magnoque honor additus amni. 



(Atjson. Id. X. 135-149.) 



Hardly a single sentence in this description can apply to the 

 Silurus glanis : the arrow-like dartings of the unbending body 

 cannot possibly refer to the sluggish, slow-swimming, mud-lov- 

 ing sheatfish ; the voracious silurus can never be called " mitis 

 Balsena:" but the whole description is well suited either to the 

 common sturgeon or to the huso. The name river- dolphin is 

 applicable not only in some degree to the general form of the 

 sturgeon, but especially to the shape of its head ; the " pecus 



