﻿216 
  On 
  the 
  Bird 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  Greek 
  'AXkvcov. 
  

  

  what 
  bird 
  I 
  thought 
  was 
  represented 
  there. 
  I 
  replied 
  without 
  

   hesitation/^ 
  A 
  Tern." 
  He 
  then 
  said 
  he 
  was 
  equally 
  certain 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  Tern. 
  The 
  coin 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  only 
  two 
  similar 
  coins 
  

   known, 
  of 
  Dicaea, 
  on 
  the 
  Thracian 
  coast, 
  a 
  colony 
  of 
  Eretria 
  

   in 
  Euboea. 
  But 
  coins 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  symbols 
  from 
  Eretria 
  are 
  

   well 
  known. 
  The 
  cow 
  is 
  probably 
  lo 
  ; 
  who 
  is 
  connected 
  with 
  

   Euboea, 
  where 
  she 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  brought 
  forth 
  Epaphus 
  ; 
  and 
  

   who 
  was 
  worshipped 
  as 
  a 
  moon-goddess 
  at 
  Eretria. 
  The 
  Tern 
  

   would 
  fitly 
  accompany 
  lo, 
  as 
  her 
  wanderings 
  were 
  chiefly 
  by 
  

   sea. 
  But 
  the 
  sacred 
  bird 
  of 
  Eretria 
  was 
  97 
  oXkuohv, 
  and 
  no 
  

   other 
  bird 
  than 
  the 
  Tern 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  any 
  Eubcean 
  

   coin. 
  Now 
  all 
  modern 
  naturalists, 
  from 
  the 
  earliest 
  writers 
  

   previous 
  to 
  Linuseus 
  downwards, 
  have 
  identified 
  oXkvodv 
  with 
  

   the 
  Kingfisher. 
  But 
  the 
  identification 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  doubt. 
  

   The 
  fullest 
  account 
  of 
  r) 
  dX/cvcbv 
  is 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  Aristotle, 
  

   who 
  (Hist. 
  Anim. 
  v. 
  8) 
  relates 
  the 
  tale 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Halcyon 
  days,' 
  

   referring 
  to 
  the 
  poet 
  Simonides; 
  and 
  states 
  that 
  this 
  bird 
  

   breeds 
  in 
  midwinter, 
  during 
  14 
  days 
  given 
  it 
  by 
  Jupiter 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  setting 
  of 
  the 
  Pleiades. 
  He 
  adds 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   Sicilian 
  seas 
  the 
  uXkvodv 
  is 
  almost 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  but 
  not 
  

   so 
  in 
  Greece 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  implies 
  that 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  floating 
  nest 
  on 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  Again 
  {op. 
  cit. 
  viii. 
  5), 
  he 
  says 
  the 
  Halcyon 
  family 
  

   {oXkvovcov 
  7evo?) 
  are 
  water-birds 
  ; 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  species, 
  

   one 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  note 
  and 
  breeds 
  among 
  the 
  reeds, 
  the 
  other 
  

   larger 
  and 
  without 
  a 
  song, 
  and 
  that 
  both 
  have 
  the 
  hack 
  Kvavovv 
  ; 
  

   and 
  he 
  puts 
  the 
  Divers 
  and 
  Gulls 
  next 
  the 
  Halcyon. 
  But 
  again 
  

   Aristotle 
  {op. 
  cit. 
  ix. 
  15) 
  describes 
  the 
  Halcyon 
  as 
  not 
  much 
  

   larger 
  than 
  a 
  Sparrow 
  {arpovOo^;), 
  and 
  its 
  colour 
  Kvavov'i, 
  

   ')(\(opo<i, 
  and 
  reddish; 
  all 
  being 
  mingled. 
  Afterwards 
  he 
  

   describes 
  the 
  nest 
  as 
  a 
  hollow 
  tube, 
  and 
  probably 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  

   bones 
  of 
  fishes. 
  

  

  ^lian, 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Natura 
  Animalium,' 
  casts 
  no 
  further 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  question, 
  merely 
  expanding 
  the 
  myth 
  of 
  the 
  Halcyon 
  days 
  

   in 
  midwinter, 
  and 
  also 
  minutely 
  describing 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  bird 
  constructs 
  its 
  nest 
  of 
  spines 
  on 
  shore, 
  and 
  

   then 
  carries 
  it 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  launches 
  it. 
  Pliny 
  does 
  

   but 
  repeat 
  Aristotle's 
  story. 
  I 
  cannot 
  find 
  any 
  other 
  passages 
  

   in 
  classical 
  authors 
  which 
  will 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  identification. 
  

  

  