236 AEISTOTLE'S ENAIMA, 



that its ova, connected together Hke those of frogs, are 

 deposited among reeds in rivers and ponds. 



Nest-making fishes are well known. The first record of 

 fishes of this kind was made by Aristotle. In fl^. A. viii. 

 c. 29, s. 3, he says that Phykis is the only sea-fish, " so they 

 say," which makes nests and rears its young in them. The 

 word used by him for " nest " is JTj^a?, which means a bed 

 of leaves or reeds. The fish referred to appears to be one 

 of the gobies, the males of which guard the eggs, previously 

 deposited by the females, beneath stones or aquatic plants 

 or the concave parts of cockle or other shells. 



According to Aristotle, Skaros was the only fish which 

 seemed to ruminate,* its food was seaweed, t and its teeth 

 were not sharp and interlocking like those of other fishes. I 

 From Athenseus, Deipii. vii. 113, it seems that Skaros was 

 not easily caught. Oppian of Cilicia applies to it the epithets 

 stiktos (variegated), hallos (dappled), and glagoeis (milky). § 

 Marcellus of Sida calls it anthemoeis (flowery). || Martial 

 says in effect that the viscera of Scarus were of better 

 flavour than the rest of this fish,T^ and that it was caught 

 by means of a hook baited with a fly.** Other ancient 

 writers, ^lian, Ovid, Horace, and Pliny, refer to Skaros or 

 Scarus, but the passages cited above are those of most 

 interest. 



Many naturalists have tried to identify Aristotle's fish. 

 Rondelet says that it is like a sargo in shape, fins, and spines, 

 and that it used to be sold by some fishermen for SargoA'^ 

 Belon says that it is very common off the Cretan coasts. X X 

 Under the name Scarus Cretensis, Aldrovandi gives a 

 drawing of a fish with a long dorsal fin, large scales, and 

 deep saw-edged jaws. §§ His fish is evidently a parrot- 

 wrasse, but his description is of little value. Availing 

 himself of the fact that Skaros is the modern Greek name 

 for a fish which is very common off the Cretan coasts, 

 Cuvier obtained, with the assistance of Count de Chabrol, 

 French Minister of Marine, in 1827, three of these fishes. 

 In Cuvier and Valenciennes' great work, which was con- 

 tinued by Valenciennes after Cuvier's death, a belief is 



- H. A. ii. c. 12, s. 13, viii. c. 4, s. 4; P. A. iii. c. 14, 675a. 



f H. A. viii. c. 4, s. 1. X Ibid. ii. c. 9, s. 5. 



§ Ralieut. iv. 41, 88 and 113. || De Medic, e Pise, line 19. 



11 Epigr. xiii. 84. ** Ibid. v. 18. 



f I De Pise. Marin. 1554, p. 164. 

 \X Lss Observ. do., en Grece, Asie, Sc., 1553, i. c. 8. 

 §§ Z)e Pise. 1613, p. 8. 



