The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Philosophy
The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Civilization, Greco-Roman; Dinners and dining -- Greece; Greece -- Social life and customs; Homosexuality -- Greece
And Alexander the Myndian also mentions it, and says that in size it
is nearly equal to a turtle-dove; that it has long legs, a slender
body, and is very timid. And with respect to the hunting for quails,
Clearchus the Solensian mentions some very singular circumstances,
in his book which is entitled "A Treatise on those things which have
been asserted on Mathematical Principles in Plato's Polity," where
he writes as follows—"Quails, about breeding time, if any one puts
a looking-glass opposite to them, and a noose in front of it, run
towards the bird which is seen in the looking-glass; and so fall into
the noose." And about the birds called jackdaws he makes a similar
statement, saying—"And a very similar thing happens to the jackdaws,
on account of their naturally affectionate disposition towards each
other. For they are a most exceedingly cunning bird; nevertheless when
a bowl full of oil is placed near them, they stand on the edge of the
bowl, and look down, and then rush down towards the bird which appears
visible in the liquid. In consequence of which, when they are soaked
through with the oil, their wings stick together and cause them to be
easily captured." And the Attic writers make the middle syllable of the
oblique cases of ὄρτυξ long, like δοίδῦκα, and κήρῦκα; as Demetrius
Ixion tells us, in his treatise on the Dialect of the Alexandrians. But
Aristophanes, in his Peace, has used the word with the penultima short
for the sake of the metre, writing—
The tame domestic quails (ὄρτῦγες οἰκογενεῖς).
There is also a bird called χέννιον, which is a small kind of quail,
which is mentioned by Cleomenes, in his letter to Alexander, where
he expresses himself in the following manner—"Ten thousand preserved
coots, and five thousand of the kind of thrush called tylas, and ten
thousand preserved χέννια." And Hipparchus, in his Egyptian Iliad, says—
I cannot fancy the Egyptian life,
Plucking the chennia, which they salt and eat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account