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
5. But I am not ignorant of what Clearchus, the Peripatetic
philosopher, has said about what he calls the exocoetus fish, or
fish which comes out of the water to sleep, which he mentions in his
work entitled A Treatise on Aquatic Animals. For he has said, (and I
think that I recollect his exact words, which are as follows,) "The
exocoetus fish, which some people call Adonis, has derived its name
from constantly taking his rest out of the water. He is rather of a red
colour, and from his gills down to his tail he has on each side of his
body one white stripe reaching the whole length of his body. And he
is round, but not being broad, he is equal in size to the cestrinisci
which are found near the shore; and they are as near as may be about
eight fingers in length. Altogether he is very like the fish called the
sea-goat, except that the latter has a black place under his stomach,
which they call the beard of the goat. And the exocoetus is one of
the fish which keeps near to the rocks, and spends his life in rocky
places. When it is calm weather he springs up with the waves and lies
on the rocks for a considerable time, sleeping on the dry land, and
turning himself so as to bask in the sun: and then, when he has had
sufficient rest, he rolls towards the water again, until the wave,
taking him again, bears him with the reflux back into the sea. And
when he is awake on the dry land then he is on his guard against those
birds which are called pareudistæ, such as the halcyon, the sandpiper,
and the helorius, which is a bird like the rail. For these birds in
calm weather feed on the dry land, and often attack the exocoetus; but
when he sees them at a distance he flies, leaping and panting, until he
dives beneath the water."
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