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they move from that shadow; for if they are separated from the shadow, they are destroyed by the serpent. The nature of the dove is worthy of admiration; for when its neck is illuminated by the sun's rays, it shows itself variegated with countless kinds of colors: purple, dark blue, fiery, coal-black, pale and red, and all sorts of other colors. The crow is fond of its young and mates for life; for after raising its chicks, caring for them it does not cease feeding them, and always flying together with them. The night-raven is a friend of the night rather than of the day. The hoopoe is affectionate; for when its parents grow old, it first preens their feathers, then with its tongue soothes their eyes, then warming them, it rejuvenates them. The swallow gives birth once a season, and when building its nest, it carries the twigs in its mouth, and the mud with its wing; for having wet the tip of it with water, it is rolled in the fine dust, and thus it devises the use of mud; and little by little binding the twigs with the mud as with some glue, it constructs the nest, and raises its young. The turtledove is monogamous; for whether the male dies, or the female, it does not mate with another. But domestic fowl have intercourse at every season. 736 The water-loving birds, such as ducks, and swans, and those like them, do not have cloven feet, but broad, webbed ones for swimming easily in the waters, pushing through the liquid with the webs of their feet as if with oars. The swan has a neck longer than its feet, in order to pull up fish from the depths. Many of the birds change their voice and their color yearly. For the blackbird turns from black to yellow, and from a singer to a crier. The nightingale changes its color and its voice with the seasons; and it is sleepless, being occupied with its melody. Some of the birds do not hunger during the winter seasons, being fed by the air alone and by the moisture inherent in their grazing, but they also restrain their carnal pleasures. For some mate in spring and autumn at the equinoxes, and some once a year. The female birds engage in mating until conception, and immediately turn away the males. Beetles, if they are anointed with rose oil, die immediately. Bees and wasps, when drenched with oil, perish, their pores having been blocked. Therefore they revive when sprinkled with vinegar; they are nourished by the air, not having respiration. Bees have a king, and they make their flight in common, and their dwelling in common; and no bee readily goes out before the king begins the flight. This king is not chosen by hand but by nature has rule over all, differing from them in size, and shape, and in the gentleness of its disposition; for it has a stinger, but does not use it for defense. Bees gather wax from the flowers, and having drawn up with their mouths the dew-like moisture sown in the flowers, they release it into the cavities of the combs; whence it is also liquid at first, then, being ripened over time, it becomes sweet and useful to humans. Wisely also they artfully construct the storehouses of the honey; stretching the wax into a thin membrane, they build the cells dense and contiguous to one another, so that the smallness of the smallest things is established by their binding to one another. Locusts encamp at one command across the breadth of the land. And going about they see other fields heavy with fruit, and do not touch them, but hasten to the place appointed for them, as if urged by a divine command. And they do not touch the fruit before permission is given to them. And afterwards a starling is sent against them, and eats them all, having an insatiable nature. They say that the owl's sight is dimmed by day, but strengthened by night. And when the bats are sleeping,

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ἐκεῖνο τῆς σκιᾶς μεθίστανται· ἐὰν γὰρ χωρισθῶσι τῆς σκιᾶς ἀναιροῦνται ὑπὸ τοῦ δράκοντος. Οἵα δέ ἐστιν ἡ φύσις τῆς περιστερᾶς θαυμάσαι ἄξιον· τὸν γὰρ αὐχένα, ἐν ἡλιακαῖς καταλαμφθέντα, μυρίαις χρωμάτων ἰδέαις ποικιλλόμενον δείκνυσι, φοινικῷ, κυανῷ, πυρωπῷ, ἀνθρακοειδεῖ, ὠχρῷ τε καὶ ἐρυθρῷ, καὶ ἄλλοις παντοδαποῖς χρώμασι. Φιλότεκνον ἡ κορώνη καὶ μόνανδρον· ἐκθρέψασα γὰρ τοὺς νεοττοὺς, κηδομένη αὐτῶν οὐ παύεται τρέφουσα αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀεὶ συνιπταμένη αὐτοῖς. Ὁ δὲ νυκτικόραξ φίλον ἐστὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ἢ τῆς ἡμέρας. Φιλόστοργος ὁ ἔποψ· γηράσαντας γὰρ τοὺς γονεῖς πτερυγίζει μὲν πρῶτον, εἶτα τῇ γλώττῃ καταψύχει αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἔπειτα θάλπων αὐτοὺς ἀνανεοῖ. Ἡ δὲ χελιδὼν ἅπαξ γεννᾷ τοῦ καιροῦ, πηγνυμένη δὲ τὴν καλιὰν τὰ μὲν κάρφη φέρει τῷ στόματι, τὸν δὲ πηλὸν τῷ πτερῷ· τὸ γὰρ ἄκρον αὐτῆς βρέξασα ὕδατι, τῇ λεπτῇ κόνει ἐνειλεῖται, καὶ οὕτως τὴν χρείαν ἐπινοεῖ τοῦ πηλοῦ· καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν τὰ κάρφη οἷον κόλλῃ τινὶ συνδεσμοῦσα τῷ πηλῷ, συνίστησι τὴν καλιὰν, καὶ ἐκτρέφει τοὺς νεοσσούς. Μόνανδρος ἡ τρυγών· εἴτε γὰρ ὁ ἄῤῥην ἀποθάνῃ, εἴτε ἡ θήλεια, ἑτέρῳ οὐ συνάπτεται. Αἱ δὲ κατοικίδιοι ὄρνεις ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ καιροῦ τὸ 736 συνουσιαστικὸν ἔχουσιν. Τὰ δὲ φίλυδρα, οἶον νῆσσαι, καὶ κύκνοι, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια αὐτοῖς, τοὺς πόδας ἐσχισμένους οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πλατεῖς, ὑμενώδεις πρὸς τὸ εὐμαρῶς τοῖς ὕδασι νήχεσθαι, οἱονεὶ κώπαις τισὶ τοῖς ὑμέσι τῶν ποδῶν τὸ ὑγρὸν διωθούμενα. Ὁ δὲ κύκνος μακρότερον τῶν ποδῶν ἔχει τὸν τράχηλον, πρὸς τὸ ἐκ τοῦ βάθους ἀνασπᾷν τοὺς ἰχθύας. Τῶν δὲ ὀρνέων πολλὰ κατ' ἔτος μεταβάλλει τὴν φωνὴν καὶ τὴν χροιάν. Ὁ γὰρ κόττυφος ἐκ μέλανος ξανθὸς καθίσταται, καὶ ἐξ ᾠδικοῦ κρακτικός. Ἡ δὲ ἀηδὼν τὸ χρῶμα καὶ τὴν φωνὴν μεταβάλλει ταῖς τροπαῖς· καὶ ἔστιν ἄγρυπνον τῇ μελῳδίᾳ σχολάζουσα. Ἔνια δὲ τῶν ὀρνέων τὰς χειμερινὰς οὐ πεινῶσι τροπὰς, τῷ ἀέρι μόνῳ τρεφόμενα καὶ τῇ κατὰ τὰς χλοηφαγίας ἐνυπαρχούσῃ νοτίδι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ὑπογαστρίους κρατοῦσιν ἡδονάς. Ἔνια μὲν γὰρ ἔαρι, καὶ μετοπώρῳ κατὰ τὰς ἰσημερίας, ἔνια δὲ ἅπαξ τοῦ ἔτους ἐπιβαίνει. Αἱ δὲ θήλειαι ὄρνεις μέχρι συλλήψεως τῇ ὀχείᾳ ἔχονται, καὶ εὐθὺς τοὺς ἄῤῥενας ἀποτρέφονται. Οἱ δὲ κάνθαροι, ἐὰν ῥοδίνῳ χρισθῶσιν, εὐθὺς ἀποθνήσκουσιν. Αἱ δὲ μέλισσαι καὶ σφῆκες, ἐλαίῳ καταβρεχθεῖσαι φθείρονται, τῶν πόρων ἀποφραγέντων. Ὄξει οὖν ἀναβιοῦσι βρεχόμεναι· τρέφονται δὲ τῷ ἄερι ἀναπνοὴν οὐκ ἔχουσαι. Ἔχουσι δὲ βασιλέα αἱ μέλισσαι, καὶ κοινὴν μὲν ποιοῦνται τὴν πτῆσιν, κοινὴν δὲ τὴν οἴκησιν· καὶ οὐδεμία προχείρως ἔξεισι πρὶν ἢ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς πτήσεως κατάρξασθαι. Ἔστι δὲ αὐταῖς οὗτος ἀχειροτόνητος ἐκ φύσεως ἔχων τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἀρχὴν, μεγέθει, καὶ σχήματι, καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἤθους πραότητι διαφέρων αὐτῶν· ἔστι μὲν γὰρ κέντρον αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὐ χρῆται τούτῳ πρὸς ἄμυναν. Συνάγουσι δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀνθῶν τὸν κηρὸν αἱ μέλισσαι, καὶ τὴν δροσοειδῶς ἐνεσπαρμένην νοτίδα τοῖς ἄνθεσιν τῷ στόματι ἐπισπασάμεναι, ταῖς κοιλότησι τῶν κηρῶν αὐτὴν ἐνιᾶσιν· ὅθεν καὶ ὑγρόν ἐστι τὴν ἀρχὴν, εἶτα τῷ χρόνῳ καταπεφθὲν, ἡδὺ γίνεται, καὶ εὔχρηστον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Σοφῶς δὲ καὶ τὰς ἀποθήκας φιλοτεχνοῦσι τοῦ μέλιτος· εἰς λεπτὸν ὑμένα τὸν κηρὸν διατείνουσαι, πυκνὰς καὶ συνεχεῖς ἀλλήλαις τοὺς σίμβλους οἰκοδομοῦσιν, ὡς τὸ μικρὸν τῆς τῶν μικροτάτων πρὸς ἄλληλα δέσεως ἑδράζεται. Αἱ δὲ ἀκρίδες ἑνὶ συνθήματι κατὰ τὸ πλάτος τῆς χώρας στρατοπεδεύουσι. Περιιοῦσαι δὲ ὁρῶσιν ἕτερα λήϊα τῷ καρπῷ βρίθοντα, καὶ οὐκ ἐφάπτονται, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν ὡρισμένον αὐταῖς τόπον σπουδάζουσιν, ὥσπερ ἐκ θείου προστάγματος ἐπειγόμεναι. Καὶ οὐ πρότερον τοῦ καρποῦ ἅπτονται, πρὶν ἢ δοθῆναι αὐταῖς τὴν συγχώρησιν. Μετέπειτα δὲ αὐταῖς σελευκὶς ἐπαποστέλλεται, καὶ πάσας κατεσθίει αὐτὰς, ἀκόρεστον τὴν φύσιν ἔχουσα. Τὴν γλαῦκά φασι τὴν ἡμέραν ἀμαυροῦσθαι τὴν ὄψιν, τὴν δὲ νύκτα ῥώννυσθαι. Ἡνίκα δ' αἱ νυκτερίδες καθεύδουσιν,