. ' ■ Plimcs Natural! Hiftorie. 



A full as bsgge and namely, the river- Whale called SiluFus, in Nilus 5 the Lax^ m the Rhefte j the Oc'i^< • 

 A ttilus,in the Po. This filli groweth fo fat with eafe and lying ftilJ^that otherwhiles it weigheth a ^JuL^JU 

 <^hourand pounds ; and being taken with a great 1 looke faftened and linked to a chaine ^ cannot 

 be drawnc forth of the river but with cercaine yokes of oxen. And yet as big as he is^thcrc is one 

 little fifh in comparifon of him called Glupeajthatkilleth hira:for upon a marvellous defire that ^ ^ / 

 hehath to acertaineveinethat he hath within his jawesjhebitechitinfunder with hisiteeth, and 

 fo difpatcheth the fore-named great fifh Atiilus. 



As for the Silurus^ a cut-throat heeis wherefoever hec goeth, a great devourer, and maketh 

 foulc worke; for no living creatures come amilTe unto him,he fetteth upon all inditferently.The 

 very horfes oftentimes as they fwimjhedevourethj and fpeeially in Mcenus, a river of Germanic 

 neeretoLisboaorEtlisbornis. 



Moreover, in the river DonoWjthere is taken chcMgrio^ a fiili much like to a Rulfc or Por- 

 pois. Alio in the river Boryfthenes, there is found a fifh by i-eport^cxceeding great^wich no chine 

 nor bone at all betweene; and yet the meat thereof is paffingfweetandplearanr. - 



Within Ganges, ariveref India^ there be fifhes fnouted and tailed as Dolphins, 15 cubits 

 longjwhich they call Plataniftas. And ^/rJ///ii'f^<?y^reportcth as rtrange a thing befidesjuamc- '^ta.JO^ . - 

 Jyjthat in the faid river there be cercaine wormes or ferpents with two finnes of a fide^ fixcie cu» 

 bicslong,of colour blew, and of thathewtake theirname [andbe called Cyonoeides.jHc faith u ^ 

 moreover jthat they be foil:rong,that when the Elephants come into the river for drinkc, they ' '' 

 catch faft hold with their teeth by their trunkes or muzxles, andmaugre their hearts foriie iheni 



Q downe under the watcrj of fuch power and force they are. - -i 



The male Tunics 1 uve no finnes under their bellies. In tlie fpring time they g;oe out of thg 

 great [Mediteranean] fea^ and by whole floces and troupes enter into Pontus t for ui noother fea 

 doe they bring forth their young. Their young nicj which accompanie their dams (when they 

 are lighmed oftheir burden)into the fea againin the autumnc^are called Cordyics.Afterwards', 6 orJdy^ 

 they begin to call them Pelamidesj and in Latine Limofa^oi the mud wherem they are kept : and ^ ' 

 when they be above one yeere oldjthen they be Tumes indeed^ and fo called . Thefe Tunies are 

 cut into peeceSj whereof the nape of the necke^ the beljie, and the fltili about the cancll bone 

 of the throat, are mollcommendableior meat; butchefeparccls onely when they be frefh and 

 new killed^ and yet then will they rife in a mans if omacke, and m akc him belch fower. The etlier 

 parts being full of good meat and oleou's wi:hall_,are laid in falt^and ib pur up in barrelsaud kept, 

 Andthefepeecesof thcTuniethusconditeandpovvdredjarecallediVidandryaiCtitiniliceslike ^ " 

 to oke fliingles for all the world,The woorft peeces of allothers^be thofe chat arenext the tailc, 

 bccaule tbsy arc not fattbutthe beif is that which is toward the throat r howroever in other 

 fifhes the taile^ peece is in greatcfl.requeflj as being moif fhrrcd and exereifed. As for the young 

 Tunies called Peiamidesjthey are divided&:cnijntop3rcels,thatbe named Apole(fii:btJt wh«n -^j '\ 

 they be cutpeece-meale into certainefc^UiJies^thofe peeces are; jiamedGyb^ 2 ^ 



Ail kind of fil"hes grow exceeding loone to their blgneffe, and cfpccially in the.fea Pontus 3 

 the reafon is, becaufe a number of rivers bring frcili, water into ir,and in fome fort make it fwcet: , 

 and namely in it, there is one called Amia, which groweth fo fail: snd io evidently, that a man * - v < >- 



£ may perceive how it w'axeth from day to day. Thefe fifties, togtther with the' old Tunies and the 

 ^youngiCalied Pclamides5:entcr.in great floKs and skulls into the fea^Ppntus, for the fwcet f-ood 

 that they there find : and every companic of theiii hath their feverall lea.der s and captaines : and 

 fceforetiienialljihe ivlaqii^rels lead liic way •i.whichjwh^^^ i"n the Wiatecjhavc a colour of 



tjrimflonc ibut'without5iike they be to tiie reif . The Maquerels lerve the, ijn-arket well ia&paine, ^ . 



^ndfiirniOi^the filli-ilujijbles? namely^when as the Tunics repsire not into thpirfeas.As for the 

 fea Pentus^thcre enter incoit few or noravenours thaih^iiinrand deyoine fiiliesj unleife it.bq 

 theSeales-andlittleDolphins.The old Tuniesj when fh§y come intoi^^ 

 on ihACO^ft of Afia) but goc forth acthe left. And thi^ isth^i-eafpn ilieiepf, as ic is thought, For 

 that they fee better with their right eye, and yet the fight of either of them is very good. With- 



■^^A |ri the channcllof th(i Thraciaii Bofphorus, by which Propontisjoyne'tli "to the leaBt^xinus, in 

 ' the very:gr^igl^t of the Firth that divideth Afia; frotiiJEiyfope, ueare ; to Qh alccdon . upon the 

 coaff ck Afia, there ftandech a rocke, exceeding white ai\d - briglit withallj which is fo tranf pa- 

 rent and niiningtroHj thg verybottom oft.be fea;to,theE^^^^ 



led ai the lpdiiuic fight cherepf^ to avoid iCjgoe alwaies amaine 'in wh^le flotcs^toward the cape 



Y ij over- 



