Chaps. 47-54.

Chap. 47.—Methods of Removing Superfluous Hair. Depilatories.

Depilatories are prepared from the blood, gall, and liver of the tunny, either fresh or preserved; as also from pounded liver of the same fish, preserved with cedar resin [“Cedrium.” See B. xvi. c. 21, and B. xxiv. c. 11.] in a leaden box; a recipe which we find given by the midwife Salpe [See end of B. xxviii.] for disguising the age of boys on sale for slaves. A similar property belongs to the pulmo marinus, [Or “sea-lungs.” See Chapter of this Book.] to the blood and gall of the sea-hare, and to the sea-hare itself, stifled in oil. The same, too, with ashes of burnt crabs or sea scolopendræ, [See B. ix. c. 67.] mixed with oil; sea-nettles, [See B. ix. c. 68.] bruised in squill vinegar; and brains of the torpedo [See Note above.] applied with alum on the sixteenth day of the moon. The thick matter emitted by the small frogs, which we have described when treating [In Chapter of this Book.] of eye-diseases, is a most efficient depilatory, if applied fresh: the same, too, with the frog itself, dried and pounded, and then boiled down to one-third in three heminæ of water, or else boiled in a copper vessel with oil in a like proportion. Others, again, prepare a depilatory from fifteen frogs, in manner already [See the preceding Note.] stated under the head of remedies for the eyes. Leeches, also, grilled in an earthen vessel, and applied with vinegar, have the same property as a depilatory; the very odour, too, which attaches to the persons who thus burn them is singularly efficacious for killing bugs. [See Chapter of this Book.] Cases are to be found, too, where persons have used castoreum with honey, for many days together, as a depilatory. In the case, however, of every depilatory, the hairs should always be removed before it is applied.

Chap. 48.—Remedies for the Diseases of Infants.

Dentition in infants is promoted, and the gums greatly relieved, by rubbing them with ashes of a dolphin’s teeth, mixed with honey, or else by touching the gums with the tooth itself of that fish. One of these teeth, worn as an amulet, is a preventive of sudden frights; [In the case of infants, probably.] the tooth of the dog-fish [“Canicula.” See B. ix. cc. 11, 70.] being also possessed of a similar property. As to ulcers which make their appearance in the ears, or in any other parts of the body, they may be cured by applying the liquor of river-crabs, [Or “crawfish.”] with barley-meal. These crabs, too, bruised in oil and employed as a friction, are very useful for other kinds of maladies. A sponge moistened with cold water from time to time, [“Crebro humefacto” seems a preferable reading to “cerebro humefacto” though supported by the Bamberg MS.] or a frog applied, the back part to the head, is a most efficacious cure for siriasis [See B. xxii. c. 29, and B. xxx. c. 47.] in infants. When the frog is removed, it will be found quite dry, they say.

Chap. 49.—Methods of Preventing Intoxication. The Fish Called Rubellio: One Remedy. The Eel: One Remedy. The Grape-fish: One Remedy.

A surmullet [See B. ix. c. 30.] stifled in wine; the fish called “rubellio;” [Identified with the “erythinus” of B. ix. c. 23, and mentioned in the next Chapter.] or a couple of eels similarly treated; or a grapefish, [See B. ix. c. 1.] left to putrefy in wine, all of them, produce an aversion to wine in those who drink thereof.

Chap. 50.—Antaphrodisiacs and Aphrodisiacs. The Hippopotamus: One Remedy. The Crocodile: One Remedy.

In the number of antaphrodisiacs, we have the echeneïs; [Or Remora. See B. ix. c. 41.] the skin from the left side of the forehead of the hippopotamus, [See B. viii. c. 39.] attached to the body in lamb-skin; and the gall of a live torpedo, [See Note above.] applied to the generative organs.

The following substances act as aphrodisiacs—the flesh of river-snails, preserved in salt and given to drink in wine; the erythinus [See B. ix. c. 23.] taken as food; the liver of the frog called “diopetes” or “calamites” [See Chapter of this Book.] attached to the body in a small piece of crane’s skin; the eye-tooth of a crocodile, attached to the arm; the hippocampus; [See B. ix. c. 1.] and the sinews of a bramble-frog, [“Rubeta.” See B. viii. c. 48, B. xi. cc. 19, 76, 116, B. xxv. c. 76, and c. of this Book.] worn as an amulet upon the right arm. A bramble-frog, attached to the body in a piece of fresh sheep-skin, effectually puts an end to love.

Chap. 51.—Remedies for the Diseases of Animals.

A decoction of frogs in water, reduced to the form of a liniment, is curative of itch-scab in horses; indeed, it is said, that a horse, when once treated in this manner, will never again be attacked with the disease. Salpe says that if a live frog is given to dogs in their mess, they will lose the power of barking.

Chap. 52.—Other Aquatic Productions. Adarca or Calamochnos: Three Remedies. Reeds: Eight Remedies. The Ink of the Sæpia.

Among the aquatic productions ought also to be mentioned calamochnos, in Latin known as “adarca,” [See B. xv. c. 36, and B. xx. c. 22.] a substance which collects about small reeds, from a mixture of the foam of fresh and of sea water. It possesses certain caustic properties, and hence it is that it is so useful as an ingredient in “acopa” [“Remedies for lassitude.” See B. xxiii. cc. 45, 80; B. xxvii. c. 13, and B. xxix. cc. 13, 37.] and as a remedy for cold shiverings; it is used too, for removing freckles upon the face of females. And now we are speaking of adarca, the reed ought equally to be mentioned. The root of that known as the “phragmites,” [See B. xvi. c. 66, and B. xxiv. c. 50.] pounded fresh, is curative of sprains, and, applied topically with vinegar, removes pains in the spine. The calcined bark, too, of the Cyprian [See B. xvi. c. 66, and B. xxiv. c. 50.] reed, known as the “donax,” is curative of alopecy and inveterate ulcers; and its leaves are good for the extraction of foreign bodies adhering to the flesh, and for the cure of erysipelas: should, however, the flower of the panicle happen to enter the ears, deafness [See B. xxiv. c. 50.] is the consequence.

The ink of the sæpia [See B. ix. cc. 20, 44, 74, 78.] is possessed of such remarkable potency, that if it is put into a lamp, Anaxilaüs tells us, the light will become entirely changed, [“Ablato priore lumine.” Hardouin justly ridicules this assertion. This ink, as Ajasson remarks, is intensely black.] and all present will look as black as Æthiopians. The bramble-frog, boiled in water, and given to swine with their drink, is curative of the maladies with which they are affected; an effect equally produced by the ashes of any other kind of frog. If wood is rubbed with the pulmo marinus, [See B. ix. c. 71, and Chapter of this Book.] it will have all the appearance of being on fire; so much so, indeed, that a walking-stick, thus treated, will light the way like a torch. [This seems to be the meaning of “adeo ut baculum ita præluceat.”]

Chap. 53. (11.)—The Names of All the Animals That Exist in the Sea, One Hundred and Seventy-six in Number.

Having now completed our exposition of the properties which belong to the aquatic productions, it would appear by no means foreign to my purpose to give a list of the various animated beings which inhabit the seas; so many as these are in number, of such vast extent, and not only making their way into the interior of the land to a distance of so many miles, but also surrounding the exterior of it to an extent almost equal to that of the world itself. These animals, it is generally considered, embrace one hundred and seventy-six different [Some MSS. have here “164,” the Bamberg MS. and others “144.” Owing to the corrupt state of the text in many parts of this Chapter, it is impossible to say which reading is correct.] species, and it will be my object to set them forth, each by its distinct name, a thing that cannot possibly be done in reference to the terrestrial animals and the birds.

For, in fact, we are by no means acquainted with all the wild beasts or all the birds that are to be found in India, Æthiopia, Scythia, or the desert regions of the earth; and even of man himself there are numerous varieties, which as yet we have been unable [“Invenire non potuimus” seems a preferable reading to “invenire potuimus.”] to make ourselves acquainted with. In addition, too, to the various countries above mentioned, we have Taprobane [Modern Ceylon. See B. vi. cc. 23, 24, B. vii. c. 2, and B. ix. c. 54.] and other isles of the Ocean, about which so many fabulous stories are related. Surely then, every one must allow that it is quite impossible to comprise every species of animal in one general view for the information of mankind. And yet, by Hercules! in the sea and in the Ocean, vast as it is, there exists nothing that is unknown to us, [“Quæ nascuntur certa sunt.” A bold assertion. The various fishes now known amount to many thousands; and there are still vast numbers, no doubt, with which science has not hitherto become acquainted.] and, a truly marvellous fact, it is with those things which Nature has concealed in the deep that we are the best acquainted!

To begin then with the monsters [“Belluæ.”] that are found in this element. We here find sea-trees, [He may possibly allude to the plants mentioned in B. xiii. cc. 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52; though Hardouin seems to think it impossible to discover what he means, seeing that he is speaking of sea-monsters, beings with animal life. See also B. ix. c. 3.] physeters, [See B. ix. c. 3.] balænæ, [See B. ix. cc. 2, 5.] pistrices, [See B. ix. c. 3; probably the same as the “pristis” of B. ix. c. 2.] tritons, [See B. ix. c. 4.] nereids, [See B. ix. c. 4.] elephants, [See B. ix. c. 4.] the creatures known as sea-men, [“Homines marini.” See B. ix. c. 4.] sea-wheels, [See B. ix. c. 3.] orcæ, [See B. ix. c. 5.] sea-rams, [See B. ix. c. 4.] musculi, [See B. ix. c. 88, and B. xi. c. 62.] other fish too with the form of rams, [See B. ix. c. 67.] dolphins, [See B. ix. c. 7.] sea-calves, [See B. ix. c. 15.] so celebrated by Homer, [Odyssey, B. iv. l. 436.] tortoises [Turtles. See B. ix. c. 13.] to minister to our luxury, and beavers, so extensively employed in medicine, [See Chapter of this Book.] to which class belongs the otter, [See B. viii. c. 47; also Chapters and of this Book.] an animal which we nowhere find frequenting the sea, it being only of the marine animals that we are speaking. There are dog-fish, [See B. ix. c. 70.] also, drinones, [The name of a fish unknown. Sillig conjectures that Pliny may have had in view the fish called “dromades” by Aristotle. “Dromones” is another reading, a sort of small crab.] cornutæ, [Littré translates this “horned ray.”] swordfish, [“Gladii.” See B. ix. cc. 1, 21; the same, probably as the “xiphias” mentioned at the end of this Chapter.] saw-fish, [See B. ix. c. 1.] hippopotami [See B. viii. c. 39.] and crocodiles, [See B. viii. c. 37.] common to the sea, the land, and the rivers; tunnies [See B. ix. c. 18, 20. Holland says, “Some take ‘thynni’ for the milters and ‘thynnides’ for the spawners.” In this translation, however, he identifies the “thynnides” with the “pelamides,” or young tunnies, mentioned in this Chapter and in B. ix. c. 18.] also, thynnides, siluri, [See B. ix. cc. 17, 25.] coracini, [See B. ix. cc. 24, 32.] and perch, [“Percæ.” See B. ix. c. 24.] common to the sea only and to rivers.

To the sea only, belong also the acipenser, [See B. ix. c. 27.] the dorade, [“Aurata.” See B. ix. c. 25.] the asellus, [See B. ix. cc. 25, 28.] the acharne, [Considered by some to be the whiting. Littré identifies it with the Perca labrax of Linnæus.] the aphye, [See B. ix. c. 74; where it is called “apua.”] the alopex, [The “sea-fox.” See B. ix. c. 67.] the eel, [“Anguilla.” See B. ix. cc. 2, 37, 38.] the araneus, [Or sea-spider. See B. ix. c. 72.] the boca, [The same as the bogue of the coasts of Narbonne, according to Rondelet, B. v. c. 11.] the batia, [See Chapter of the present Book.] the bacchus, [See B. ix. c. 28.] the batrachus, [Or frog-fish. See B. ix. c. 40.] the belonæ, [“Sea-needles.” Identified by some with the horn-fish, horn-back, or needle-fish.] known to us as “aculeati,” [“Needle-fish.”] the balanus, [“Acorn-fish.” A shell-fish, according to Rondelet, B. i. c. 30, which frequents the clefts of rocks.] the corvus, [“Sea-raven.” According to some authorities, identical with the Trigla hirundo of Linnæus. Hardouin says that it is the fish called capone by the people of Rome.] the citharus, the least esteemed of all the turbots, the chalcis, [See B. ix. c. 71.] the cobio, [The same, probably, as the “gobio,” mentioned in B. ix. c. 83.] the callarias, [See B. ix. c. 28.] which would belong to the genus of the aselli [See B. ix. cc. 25, 28.] were it not smaller; the colias, [Thought by some to be a kind of mackerel, by others to be a tunny. Rondelet says, B. viii. c. 8, that it is a fish still called coguiol by the people of Marseilles.] otherwise known as the fish of Parium [In the Hellespont.] or of Sexita, [Or Sexis, according to Pintianus.] this last from a place of that name in Bætica its native region, the smallest, too, of the lacerti; [Or “sea-lizards.”] the colias of the Mæotis, the next smallest of the lacerti; the cybium, [See B. ix. c. 18. He surely does not intend to include this among his “one hundred and seventy-six different kinds of aquatic animals”!] (the name given, when cut into pieces, to the pelamis [Or young tunny. See B. ix. c. 18.] which returns at the end of forty days from the Euxine to the Palus Mæotis); the cordyla [See B. ix. c. 18.] —which is also a small pelamis, so called at the time when it enters the Euxine from the Palus Mæotis—the cantharus, [Rondelet says, B. v. c. 4, that it is a fish still known (in his time) as cantheno, by the people of Narbonne. Ovid, in his Halieuticon, l. 103, speaks of the unpleasant flavour of its juices.] the callionymus [See Chapter of the present Book.] or uranoscopus, the cinædus, the only [Of course, as Hardouin says, he does not include the shell-fishes in this assertion. The fish with this uncomplimentary name has not been identified.] fish that is of a yellow colour; the cnide, known to us as the sea-nettle; [“Urtica.” See B. ix. c. 68.] the different kinds of crabs, [See B. ix. c. 51.] the striated chemæ, [Or “chamæ;” different varieties of gaping cockles.] the smooth chemæ, the chemæ belonging to the genus of pelorides, [Or “monster” cockles.] all differing in the variety of their colours and in the roundness of the shells; the chemæ glycymarides, [Or “sweet” cockles.] still larger than the pelorides; the coluthia or coryphia; [See Chapter of this Book.] the various kinds of shellfish, among which we find the pearl oysters, [See B. ix. c. 54.] the cochleæ, [Or “cochli.” As to the various kinds of cochleæ, see B. ix. c. 51.] (belonging to which class are the pentadactyli, [“Five-fingered.” So called from some peculiarity in their shape.]) the helices, [Considered by some to be the striated mussel, the Pecten of Linnæus.] by some known as actinophori, the spokes [“Radii.”] on whose shells are used for musical purposes; [This is not improbably the meaning of the very elliptical sentence, “Quibus radii cantant.”] and, in addition to these, the round cochleæ, the shells of which are used in measuring oil, as also the sea-cucumber, [See B. ix. c. 1.] the cynopos, [The “dog’s-face,” literally. This fish has not been identified: indeed the reading is doubtful.] the cammarus, [A kind of crab or crayfish. See B. xxvii. c. 2.] and the cynosdexia. [Literally, the “dog’s right hand.” This fish has not been identified: Hardouin suggests that it may have been a zoöphyte.]

Next to these we have the sea-dragon, [See B. ix. c. 43, and Chapters and of this Book.] a fish which, according to some, is altogether distinct from the dracunculus, [Or “little dragon.”] and resembles the gerricula in appearance, it having on the gills a stickle which points towards the tail and inflicts a wound like that of the scorpion [The sea-scorpion, probably.] when the fish is handled—the erythinus, [See B. ix. c. 23; also Chapters and of this Book.] the echeneïs, [Or Remora. See B. ix. c. 41; also Chapter of this Book.] the sea-urchin, [See B. ix. cc. 14, 74.] the sea-elephant, a black kind of crayfish, with four forked legs, in addition to two arms with double joints, and furnished, each of them, with a pair of claws, indented at the edge; the faber, [See B. ix. c. 32.] also, or zæus, the glauciscus, [See Chapter of the present Book.] the glanis, [See B. ix. c. 67.] the gonger, [Possibly the same as the “Conger” of B. ix. c. 24.] the gerres, [A fish similar, most probably, to the “gerricula” previously mentioned. Holland calls it a “pilchard” or “herring.”] the galeos, [A kind of squalus. See B. ix. c. 70.] the garos, [See B. xxxi. c. 43.] the hippos, [Or “horse.” The crab, probably, mentioned in B. ix. c. 51.] the hippuros, [See B. ix. c. 24.] the hirundo, [Or sea-swallow. See B. ix. c. 43.] the halipleumon, [“Lungs of the sea.” The same as the Pulmones, or sea-lungs mentioned in B. ix. c. 71, and in Chapter 36 of this Book.] the hippocampus, [See B. ix. c. 1.] the hepar, [Or “sea-liver.” A sort of rock-fish, according to Athenæus.] the ictinus [The same as the “milvus” or “sea-kite,” mentioned in B. ix. c. 43.] and the iulis. [See Chapter of this Book. Instead of this fish and the preceding one, most of the editions mention the “elacatenes,” a cetaceous fish, according to Athenæus, much used for salting.] There are various kinds also of lacerti, [“Sea-lizards.”] the springing loligo, [See B. ix. c. 45.] the crayfish, [“Locusta.” See B. ix. c. 50.] the lantern-fish, [“Lucerna.” See B. ix. c. 43.] the lepas, [Neither this fish nor the “larinus” has been identified.] the larinus, the sea-hare, [See B. ix. c. 72, and Chapter of this Book.] and the sea-lion, [See B. ix. c. 51.] with arms like those of the crab, and in the other parts of the body like the cray-fish.

We have the surmullet [See B. ix. c. 30.] also, the sea black-bird, [See B. ix. c. 20.] highly esteemed among the rock-fish; the mullet, [See B. ix. c. 26.] the melanurus, [See Chapter of this Book. Holland translates this—“The blacke taile perch, (which some take for a ruffe, others for a sea-breame).”] the mæna, [See B. ix. c. 42.] the mæotis, [A fish of the Nile, according to Ælian. “Meryx” is another reading, a kind of Scarus, it is thought.] the muræna, [See B. ix. c. 23.] the mys, [A shell-fish. See B. ix. c. 56.] the mitulus, [See Chapter of this Book.] the myiscus, [See Chapter of this Book.] the murex, [See B. ix. c. 61.] the oculata, [The “eye-fish.” A kind of lamprey has been suggested.] the ophidion, [See Chapter of this Book.] the oyster, [See B. ix. c. 21.] the otia, [“Sea-ears.” A kind of oyster, Holland says.] the orcynus—the largest of all the pelamides [See B. ix. c. 20.] and one that never returns to the Palus Mæotis, like the tritomus [He speaks of it as a kind of Pelamis, a little further on.] in appearance, and best when old—the orbis, [The sun-fish. See Chapter of this Book.] the orthagoriscus, [The same, probably, as the “orbis.” See Chapters and of the present Book.] the phager, [Or phagrus. See B. ix. c. 24.] the phycis [See B. ix. c. 42.] a rock-fish, the pelamis, [A young tunny. See B. ix. c. 20.] (the largest kind of which is called “apolectum,” [A “choice bit.” See B. ix. c. 20.] and is tougher than the tritomus) the sea-pig, [See B. ix. c. 17.] the phthir, [This fish has not been identified.] the sea-sparrow, [See B. ix. c. 36.] the pastinaca, [Or sting-ray. See B. ix. c. 40.] the several varieties of the polyp, [See B. ix. c. 48.] the scallop, [See B. ix. c. 51.] which is larger and more swarthy in summer than at other times, and the most esteemed of which are those of Mitylene, [See B. v. c. 39.] Tyndaris, [Probably the place of that name in Sicily, mentioned in B. ii. c. 94, and B. iii. c. 14.] Salonæ, [See B. iii. c. 26.] Altinum, [See B. iii. c. 22.] the island of Chios, and Alexandria in Egypt; the small scallop, [“Pectunculus.” See Note above.] the purple, [See B. ix. c. 60.] the pegris, [An unknown fish. The reading is doubtful.] the pinna, [See B. ix. c. 66.] the pinnotheres, [See B. ix. c. 66.] the rhine [See B. ix. c. 40.] or squalus of the Latins, the turbot, [“Rhombus.” See B. ix. c. 36.] the scarus, [See B. ix. c. 29.] a fish which holds the first rank at the present day; the sole, [See B. ix. c. 36.] the sargus, [See B. ix. c. 30.] the squilla, [The same, perhaps, as the “pinnotheres” of B. ix. c. 66, a kind of shrimp.] the sarda [See Chapter of this Book.] —such being the name of an elongated pelamis [See B. ix. c. 18.] which comes from the Ocean; the scomber, [See B. ix. c. 19.] the salpa, [See B. ix. c. 32.] the sorus, [Considered by Sillig to be the same as the “Saurus” of Chapter of this Book; the “sea-lizard,” apparently.] the scorpæna, [It does not seem to have been identified; though Rondelet says that it is the same as the Rascasse of the Mediterranean.] the sea-scorpion, [See B. xx. c. 53, and Chapters,,,, and of this Book.] the solas, [This fish has not been identified; indeed the reading is very doubtful.] the sciæna, [See B. ix. c. 24.] the sciadeus, [A fish similar to the preceding one, probably; some kind of ombre, Littré thinks.] the scolopendra, [See B. ix. c. 67.] the smyrus, [Probably the same as the “Myrus” of B. ix. c. 39.] the sæpia, [See B. ix. c. 45.] the strombus, [See Chapter of this Book.] the solen, [See Chapter of this Book.] otherwise known as the aulos, donax, onyx or dactylus; the spondylus, [A sort of mollusk, Littré thinks. There is a shell-fish known as the Spondylus gæderopus of Linnæus.] the smaris, [See Chapters,, and, of this Book.] the starfish, [See B. ix. c. 86.] and the sponges. [See B. ix. c. 69.] There is the sea-thrush [See B. ix. c. 20.] also, famous among the rock-fish, the thynnis, [A sort of tunny, probably.] the thranis, by some writers known as the xiphias; [See Chapter of this Book. Probably the same as the “gladius” of this Chapter, and of B. ix. cc. 1, 21.] the thrissa, [Considered by Littré to be the Shad.] the torpedo, [See B. ix. c. 67.] the tethea, [See Chapter of this Book.] the tritomus, a large kind of pelamis, [See B. ix. c. 18.] which admits of being cut into three cybia; [See B. ix. c. 18.] the shells of Venus, [See B. ix. c. 52, and Chapter of this Book.] the grape-fish, [See B. ix. c. 1, and c. of this Book.] and the xiphias. [See Note above.]

Chap. 54.—Additional Names of Fishes Found in the Poem of Ovid.

To the above enumeration we will add some names given in the poem of Ovid, [The Halieuticon, already mentioned in Chapter of this Book.] which are not to be found in any other writer: species, however, which are probably peculiar to the Euxine, on the shores [At the town of Tomi, whither he was banished by Augustus Cæsar.] of which he commenced that work towards the close of his life. The fishes thus mentioned by him are the sea-ox, the cercyrus, that dwells among the rocks, the orphus, [See B. ix. c. 24.] the red erythinus, [See B. ix. cc. 23, 77, and Chapters,, of this Book.] the iulus, [The same, probably, as the “iulis” mentioned in the preceding.] the tinted mormyr, the chrysophrys [The “golden brow.” The same as the “Aurata” or “dorade” of B. ix. c. 25, and Chapters and of this Book.] a fish of a golden colour, the parus, [An unknown fish; the reading is doubtful.] the tragus, [The “goat-fish.” It does not appear to have been identified.] the melanurus [Literally, the “black tail.” See the preceding.] remarkable for the beauty of its tail, and the epodes, [According to Rondelet, a fish resembling the Coracinus.] a flat fish.

In addition to these remarkable kinds of fishes, the same poet tells us that the channes [See B. ix. c. 23.] conceives of itself, that the glaucus [See B. ix. c. 25.] never makes its appearance in summer, that the pompilus [See B. ix. c. 47.] always accompanies vessels in their course, and that the chromis [See B. ix. c. 42.] makes its nest in the water. The helops, he says, is unknown to our waters; from which it would appear that those are in error who look upon it as identical with our acipenser. [See B. ix. c. 27. Ajasson is of opinion that the “helops” is the Russian sturgeon, the “acipenser,” the common sturgeon.] Many persons have given the preference to the helops before all other fish, in point of flavour.

There are several fishes also, which have been mentioned by no author; such, for instance, as the one called “sudis” by the Latins, and “sphyrene” by the Greeks, names which indicate the peculiar form of its muzzle. [Resembling a “stake” in appearance. It bee been suggested that this is the Esox sphyræna.] It is one of the very largest kinds, but rarely found, and by no means of inferior flavour. “Perna,” too, is the name given to a kind of shell-fish, found in vast numbers in the vicinity of the islands of the Euxine. These fish are found firmly planted in the sand, resembling in appearance the long shank [“Perna.” Hardouin says that from the diminutive of this, “pernula,” the modern word “pearl” is derived.] of a hog. Opening wide their shells, where there is sufficient space, they lie in wait for their prey; this opening being not less than a foot in breadth, and the edges of it garnished around with teeth closely set, much resembling the teeth of a comb in form. Within the shell, the meat consists of a vast lump of flesh. I once saw, too, a fish called the “hyæna,” [A sort of “tursio,” Dalechamps says. See B. ix. c. 11.] which had been caught off the island of Ænaria. [See B. iii. c. 12.]

In addition to these animals, there are certain excretions thrown up by the sea, which do not merit any further notice, and indeed ought to be reckoned among the sea-weeds, rather than looked upon as animated beings.

Summary. —Remedies, narratives, and observations, nine hundred and ninety.

Roman Authors quoted. —Licinius Macer, [See end of B. xix.] Trebius Niger, [See end of B. viii.] Sextius Niger [See end of B. xii.] who wrote in Greek, the Poet Ovid, [See end of B. xviii.] Cassius Hemina, [See end of B. xii.] Mæcenas, [See end of B. ix.] Iacchus, [According to Suetonius, Fescennius Iacchus was a grammarian who taught in Cisalpine Gaul. See also B. xxxvii. c..] Sornatius. [See end of B. xxxi.]

Foreign Authors quoted. —Juba, [See end of B. v.] Andreas, [See end of B. xx.] Salpe, [See end of B. xxviii.] Apion, [See end of B. xxx.] Pelops, [See end of B. xxxi.] Apelles, [See end of B. xxviii.] Thrasyllus, [See end of B. ii.] Nicander. [See end of B. viii.]