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This is a complete transcription of de Mirabilibus Auscultationibus sometimes attributed to Aristotle as published in the Loeb Classical Library Cambridge (Mass.) and London, 1936 The text is in the public domain. This page has been carefully proofread and I believe it to be free of errors. If you find a mistake though, please let me know!

Aristotle: Minor Works

 p235  On Marvellous Things Heard
(de Mirabilibus Auscultationibus)

 p239  1 830aIn Paeonia they say that in the mountain called Hesaenus, which divides Paeonia from Maedice, there is a wild beast called "bolinthus," which the Paeonians call "monaepus." They say that beast is in general character like an ox, but that it is larger and stronger, and also more hairy; for it has a mane on its neck like a horse, stretching down very thickly, and spreading from its brow to its eyes. Its horns are not like those of oxen, but are turned downwards, and come to a sharp point by the ears; each of these holds more than three pints and is pitch black, but they shine as though they were peeled. But when the hide is skinned it covers the space of eight couches. But when the beast is hit it flees, and even if incapacitated continues to do so; its flesh is sweet. It protects itself by kicking and voiding excrement over a distance of forty feet; it easily and often employs this form of defence, which scorches so fiercely that it will scrape off a dog's hair. They say that it has this effect when the animal is disturbed, but that it does not scorch when it is undisturbed. When they bring forth their young they meet in large numbers, and collecting in a herd all the biggest bring forth young and void excrement in a circle. For the beast voids a great deal of such excrement.

 p241  2 bThey say that camels in Arabia do not mate with their dams, and will not do so even if force is used. A story is told that once, when no stallion was available, the man in charge secretly introduced a colt. Apparently the colt completed the mating, but soon after bit the camel-driver to death.

3 They say that the cuckoos in Helice, when they are going to lay eggs, do not make a nest, but lay them in the nests of doves or pigeons, and do not sit, nor hatch, nor bring up their young; but when the young bird is born and has grown big, it casts out of the nest those with whom it has so far lived. It becomes apparently a fine strong bird, so it can easily master the others. They say that the ring-doves so delight in this, that they join in turning out their own young.

4 Goats in Crete when they are wounded with an arrow appear to hunt for dittany, which grows there. When they have eaten it, they immediately pull out the arrows.

5 They say that some deer in Achaea, when they shed their horns, go in to such places that they cannot easily be found. They do this because they have nothing to defend themselves with, 831aand because the points from which they have cast off their horns are painful. In the place of the horns ivy may often be seen to have grown on them.

6 In Armenia they say that a plant grows which is called leopard's bane. When a leopard has been seen, they anoint a victim with this, and set him free. When the leopard has touched this, he apparently seeks human excrement. So the hunters, putting  p243 this in a vessel, hang it from a tree, in order that he may get tired of jumping for it, and so may be captured.

7 In Egypt they say that sandpipers fly into the mouths of crocodiles, and pick their teeth, picking out the small pieces of flesh that adhere to them with their beaks; the crocodiles like this, and do them no harm.

8 They say that in Byzantium the hedgehogs can distinguish when the wind blows from the north and from the south, and promptly change their holes; when the south wind blows, they make the openings from the bottom, and when the north wind from the sides.

9 The goats in Cephallenia apparently do not drink like other quadrupeds, but every day turn their faces to the sea, open their mouths, and inhale the air.

10 They say that in Syria there is always one leader of a herd of wild asses. When one of the younger animals wishes to mate with a female, the leader is enraged and pursues the young one until he catches him, and then stooping between his hind legs tears out his organs.

11 They say that tortoises when they have eaten a snake eat marjoram on top, and that if they do not find any they die quickly. Many shepherds have experimented to see if this is true, and when they see a tortoise eating a snake pull up the marjoram; whenever they do this they see the tortoise die in a short space of time.

12 bThe organ of the marten is said to be unlike that of other animals, being as hard as a bone, in  p245 whatever condition it is. They say that it is an excellent cure for strangury and is administered in powdered form.

13 They say that the woodpecker climbs up trees like a lizard, upside down and on its belly. It is said to feed on insects from the trees, and to dig so deep into the trees in its search for worms, that it actually brings them down.

14 They say that pelicans dig up the mussels which live in rivers and swallow them; then when they have taken in a quantity they vomit, and so eat the flesh of the mussels without dealing with their shells.

15 They say that in Cyllene in Arcadia the blackbirds are white, but not in any other place, and that they have harmonious voices and come out into the moonshine; and that if one were to try by day, they are very hard to catch.

16 It is said that the honey called flower honey at Melos and Cnidos is sweet-scented, but only lasts for a short time, but that there is bee‑bread in it.

17 In certain parts of Cappadocia they say that honey is made without wax, and that it is of the consistency of oil.

18 At Trapezus in Pontus honey from boxwood has a heavy scent; and they say that healthy men go mad, but that epileptics are cured by it immediately.

19 They say that in Lydia much honey is collected from trees, and that the inhabitants make small balls  p247 out of it without wax, that they cut pieces off by violent friction, and use them. The same thing is done in Thrace, but it is not so hard though rather gritty. They say that all the honey that sets retains the same bulk, not like water and other liquids.

20 832aChalcidian grass and almond are most useful for making honey. For they say that the greatest quantity is produced from them.

21 They say that bees are stupefied by myrrh, and cannot bear its smell; some say that bees sting violently those smeared with myrrh.

22 Among the Illyrians they say that the people called Taulantii make wine out of honey. When they have squeezed out the wax, they pour in water and boil in a cauldron, until only half the liquid is left; then they pour it into earthenware vessels; they say that it ferments in these for a long time, and that it becomes vinous, sweet and strong. They say that this has occurred even among some people in Greece, so that it shows no difference from old wine; but that when they sought for the mixture later they could not find it.

23 In Thessaly they record that snakes are born alive in such quantities that if they were not eaten by storks the people would leave. Consequently they honour storks, and it is unlawful to kill them; if anyone does so, he is liable to the same penalties as a murderer.

24 In the same way at certain times in Sparta, it is said that there is such a crowd of snakes, that in times of famine the Spartans use them as food;  p249 hence they say that the Pythian oracle called them "serpent-necked."

25 In Cyprus they say that mice eat iron.

26 And they say that the Chalybes, in one of the islands lying above them, collect gold from many of these creatures. For this reason apparently they cut up the mice which they catch in mines.

27 It is said that when one goes from Susa to Media in the second stage there is a large quantity of scorpions. Consequently the king of the Persians, whenever he went through the district, stayed there three days, ordering all his men to hunt; and he gave a prize to the man who caught most.

28 In Cyrene they say that there is not one kind of mouse bbut many, differing in shape and colour; for some have flat heads like polecats, and others are shaped like hedgehogs, which they call "echines."

29 In Cilicia they say that there is a whirlpool; when birds and other creatures which have been drowned are put into it, they come to life again.

30 Among the Scythians called Geloni they say that there is a beast, excessively rare, which is called "tarandos";⁠1 they say that it changes the colour of its hair according to the place it is in. For this reason it is difficult to catch; for it becomes the same colour as the trees and the ground, and generally of the place in which it is. But the changing of the colour of the hair is most remarkable; other creatures change their skin like the chameleon and polypus,  p251 but this animal is of the size of an ox. But its head is of the same kind as a deer.

31 It is said that at Abydus a man who was mad went into the theatre and watched for many days, as if there were people acting, and showed his approval; and when he recovered from his madness, he said that he had enjoyed the best time of his life.

32 In Tarentum they say that a seller of wine went mad at night, but sold wine by day. For he kept the key of his room at his girdle, and, though many tried to get it from him and take it, he never lost it.

33 In the island of Tenos they say there is a cup containing a mixture, from which they very easily kindle a fire. And among the Bithynians in Thrace there is in the mines a stone called "spinos," from which they say that fire is kindled.

34 In the island of Lipara they say that there is a place with a down draught, in which if they hide a pipkin, anything they put into it boils.

35 833aIn Media and in the district of Psittacus in Persia there are fires burning, a small one in Media, but a large one in Psittacus with a clear flame. For this reason the Persian king built his kitchen near it. Both are on level ground and not in high places. These can be seen both by night and by day, but those in Pamphylia only by night.

36 Also they say that in Atitania, near the boundaries of Apolloniatis, there is a rock, from which the fire which rises cannot be seen, but when oil is poured over it, it blazes.

 p253  37 It is said also that the district outside the Pillars of Heracles burns, part of it all the time, and part only at night, as is narrated in Hanno's Voyages. The fire in Lipara can be seen flaming, not by day, but only by night. In Pithecusae they say it is fiery and hot, but not burning.

38 Xenophanes says that the one in Lipara faded for sixteen years, but reappeared in the seventeenth. They say that the flow of lava in Etna is neither flaming nor continuous, but that it appears after an interval of many years.

39 In Lydia it is said that the fire is very strong, and burns for seven days on end.

40 A remarkable story is told about the lava flow in Sicily; for the width of the boiling flame is forty stades, and the height to which it travels is three.

41 They say the stone in Thrace called "spinos" burns when split in half, and joins together again, like charcoal embers, and that this, when joined together and sprinkled with water, burns; and that the "marieus" does the same thing.

42 Near Philippi in Macedonia they say that there are mines, the dross from which when cast out grows and produces gold, and that this can be seen.

43 They also say that in Cyprus in the district called Tyrrias bronze behaves in a similar way. bFor apparently they cut it into small pieces and sow it; then when the rain comes it grows, and puts out shoots and so is collected.

 p255  44 They say also that in the island of Melos places that are excavated automatically fill up again.

45 In Paeonia they say that when showers of rain fall continuously, as the soil melts away, gold is found called unfired gold. They say that in Paeonia the ground is so full of gold that many have found more than a mina's weight. They say that one man found two lumps and took them to the king, one weighing three minae and one five; these were laid by him on the table, and, if he ate anything, he first poured a libation on these.

46 They also say that among the Bactrians the river Oxus brings down lumps of gold in huge quantities, and that in Iberia the river called Theodorus silts up quantities of gold at its mouth, and similarly washes it down.

47 They say that in Pieria in Macedonia uncoined gold was dug into the earth by the ancient kings in four holes, and that from one of them gold a span high grew up.

48 It is said that the origin of Chalybian and Amisenian iron is most extraordinary. For it grows, so they say, from the sand which is borne down by the rivers. Some say that they simply wash this and heat it in a furnace; others say that they repeatedly wash the residue which is left after the first washing and heat it, and that they put into it a stone which is called fire-proof; and there is much of this in the district. This iron is much superior to all other kinds. If it were not burned in a furnace, it would not apparently be very different from silver. They say that it  p257 alone is not liable to rust, but that there is not much of it.

49 834aThey say that among the Indians copper is so bright, clean, and rustless that it is indistinguishable in appearance from gold, but that among the cups of Darius there are a considerable number which could not be determined as copper or gold except by the smell.

50 They say that Celtic tin melts much more easily than lead. A proof of its solubility may be seen from the fact that it seems to melt even in water; for instance, apparently it stains very quickly. It melts even in the cold, when there is frost, owing, so they say, to the heat stored up and compressed with it because of its weakness.

51 There is a wild olive at Pantheion called the "beautiful crown" olive. All its leaves have characteristics contrary to those of other olives; for they have the grey colour on the upper and not the under side. They put out branches like the myrtle suitable for crowns. Taking a cutting from this Heracles planted it at Olympia, and from it crowns are given to the victorious athletes. This is by the river Ilissus, about 60 stades away from the river; it has a wall round it and there is a heavy penalty for anyone who touches it. Taking a cutting from this the Eleians planted it at Olympia, and gave crowns from it.

52 In the mines in Lydia about Pergamum, which Croesus worked, when war broke out, the workers fled to them, and when the mouth was closed up  p259 were suffocated; much later on when the mines were cleared out the vessels which they used for their handiwork were found petrified, such as amphorae and similar vessels. These being filled with some liquid were petrified, and so were the bones of the men.

53 In the lake Ascania the water is so full of soda that clothes need no further cleansing, and if one lets them stay long in the water they crumble to pieces.

54 Near the lake Ascania there is a village called Pythopolis, about a hundred and twenty stades from Cios, in which all the wells go dry in the winter, so that it is impossible to dip a vessel into them, bbut in the summer they are full to the brim.

55 The strait between Sicily and Italy grows bigger and smaller according to the moon.

56 Also on the road to Syracuse there is a spring in a meadow neither large nor with much water; but when a large crowd met at the place it supplied ample water.

57 There is a spring among the Palici in Sicily, covering the space of ten couches; this throws up water to the height of six cubits, so that the whole place is thought by observers to be inundated; and it falls back again to the same spot. There is an oath which is regarded as very sacred there; for a man writes down the oath he takes on a small tablet and casts it into the water. If he swears truly, the tablet floats. If he swears falsely, the tablet is said to grow heavy and disappear, and the man is  p261 burned. So the priest takes security from him that someone shall purify the temple.

58 Demonesus, the Chalcedonian island, took its name from Demonesus who first worked there; the place has a mine of cyanus and malachite. The best of this fetches price comparable with gold; for it is a drug used for the eyes. There is also copper to be dived for in two fathoms of sea; from this is made the statue in Sicyon in the ancient temple of Apollo, and also those in Pheneus called yellow-copper. On them is inscribed "Heracles, son of Amphitryon, dedicated these on capturing Elis." He captured Elis under the guidance of a woman, in accordance with the oracle, whose father Augeas he had killed. Those who dig for copper become very keen-sighted, and those who have no eyelashes grow them; hence doctors also use the flower of copper and Phrygian ash for the eyes.

59 There is a cave called the "hollow cave"; in it are pillars made of stalagmites; these can be seen joined to the floor, for it is very narrow there.

60 835aFrom a pair of eagles one of typography is alternately a sea‑eagle, as long as they are mated. From sea‑eagles are born the osprey and from these hawks and vultures; these do not stop as vultures, but produce large vultures; these have no young. This is proved by the fact that no one has ever seen a nest of large vultures.

61 Among the Indians an extraordinary occurrence is told of the lead there; for when it is melted and poured into cold water it leaps out of the water.

 p263  62 They say that Mossynecian copper is very shiny and white, not because there is tin mixed with it, but because some earth is combined and molten with it. But they say that the man who discovered the mixture never taught anyone; so the copper vessels which were made in earlier days have this distinction, but subsequent ones have not.

63 They say in Pontus that some birds are found retiring into holes in winter and do not void, nor do they feel it when their wings are plucked, nor when they are put on to a small spit, but they do when they are roasted by the fire. They also say that many fish cannot feel when they are cut up and sliced, but they can feel when they are heated by the fire.

64 The bee appears to herald the winter solstice by walking to his work, a sign of which bee‑keepers make use; for it is their quiet time. The cicala seems to sing after the solstice.

65 They say that the hedgehog can go without food for a year.

66 The spotted lizard, when it has sloughed its skin like a snake, is said to turn round and devour it; for it is watched for by physicians because of its value for epileptics.

67 They say that the fat of the she‑bear, when it becomes set in winter, during the time that the bear lives in a cave, grows, and overflows the vessels in which it is placed.

68 In Cyrene they say that frogs are entirely voiceless; and in Macedonia, in the country of the Emathiotae, that pigs are solid-hooved.

 p265  69 bIn Cappadocia they say that mules breed and in Crete that poplars bear fruit.

70 They say that in Seriphus frogs do not croak, but if they are removed to another place they do.

71 Among the Indians in the part called Keras, they say that there are small fish which wander about on dry land, and then run back again to the river.

72 Some say that in Babylonia certain fishes remain in holes which retain moisture when the river dries up; these come out on to the threshing-floor to feed, and walk on their fins and wave their tails; when they are pursued they flee, and diving down stand to face the pursuer. For men will often approach, and even torment them. They have a head like a sea‑frog, but the rest of their body is like a gudgeon, but they have gills like other fish.

73 In Heraclea in Pontus and in Rhegium they say that some fish are caught by digging, and that these are mostly found in riverside and watery places. Where these places dry up they can be caught in certain places on land, and then when the ground dries still more they penetrate into the mud in search of moisture; then when that grows dry they remain in the moisture, like those that survive in holes. But when they are dug up before the water comes they move.

74 And they say that in Paphlagonia those fishes which are dug up are bred deep down, and that they are good in quality; although no water is to be seen  p267 near by, nor any river flowing in, but the earth itself propagates the creatures.

75 They say that the deer in Epirus dig down and bury the right horn, when they shed it, and that this is valuable for many purposes.

76 They say that the lynx conceals his urine because it is used for many purposes, especially for making signets.

77 They say that the seal vomits beestings when caught; this has curative properties, and is good for epileptics.

78 It is said that in Italy near the mountain Circe a fatal drug grows, which has this property, that when it is sprinkled on anyone, it makes him fall immediately 836aand causes his hair to fall out; all the limbs of his body grow weak, so that the appearance of the body of those who are dying is pitiful. They say that Aulus the Peucestrian and Gaius who were going to give it to Cleonymus the Spartan were detected, and after cross-examination were put to death by the Tarentines.

79 They say that in the island of Diomedeia in the Adriatic there is a remarkable and hallowed shrine of Diomedes, and that birds of vast size sit round this shrine in a circle, having large hard beaks. They say moreover that if ever Greeks disembark on the spot they keep quiet, but if any of the barbarians that live round about land there, they rise and wheeling round attack their heads, and wounding them with their bills kill them. The legend is that these birds are descended from the companions of  p269 Diomedes, who were wrecked near the island, when Diomedes was treacherously murdered by Aeneas, the king of those parts at the time.

80 Among the Umbrians they say that the cattle bear three times in the year, and the earth bears many times as many fruits as that which is sown; also that women have many children and seldom bear one (at a time), but most of them two or three.

81 In the Electrides Islands, which lie in the gulf of the Adriatic, they say that two statues have been dedicated, one of tin and one of copper, wrought in the old‑fashioned style. It is said that these are the works of Daedalus, a reminder of the old days, when escaping from Minos he came to this district from Sicily and Crete. They say that the river Eridanus silted up these islands. There is a lake apparently near the river, containing hot water. A heavy and unpleasant smell comes from it, and no animal ever drinks from it nor does bird fly over it without falling and dying. bIt has a circumference of two hundred stades, and a breadth of ten. The local inhabitants say that Phaethon fell into this lake when he was struck by a thunderbolt. There are many poplars in it, from which oozes the so‑called electron.⁠a They say that this is like gum, and hardens like a stone; it is collected by the inhabitants and brought to the Greeks. They say that Daedalus came to these islands, and putting in there set up in one of them his own image, and in the other that of his son Icarus. Later on, when the Pelasgians, who  p271 were expelled from Argos, sailed there, Daedalus fled, and sailed to the island of Icarus.

82 In Sicily in the district called Enna there is said to be a cave, around which is an abundance of flowers at every season of the year, and particularly that a vast space is filled with violets, which fill the neighbourhood with sweet scent, so that hunters cannot chase hares, because the dogs are overcome by the scent. Through this cave there is an invisible under­ground passage, by means of which Pluto is said to have made the rape of Core. They say that wheat is found in this place unlike the local grain, which they use, and unlike any that is imported, but having great peculiarities. They say that this was the first place in which wheat appeared among them. They also claim Demeter, saying that the goddess was born among them.

83 They say that there are no wolves, bears or snakes in Crete, and, generally speaking, no beasts of the kind, because Zeus was born there.

84 In the sea outside the Pillars of Heracles they say that a desert island was found by the Carthaginians, having woods of all kinds and navigable rivers, remarkable for all other kinds of fruits, and a few days' voyage away; as the Carthaginians frequented it often owing to its prosperity, and some even lived there, 837athe chief of the Carthaginians announced that they would punish with death any who proposed to sail there, and that they massacred all the inhabitants, that they might not tell the story, and  p273 that a crowd might not resort to the island, and get possession of it, and take away the prosperity of the Carthaginians.

85 They say that there is a road called "the Heraclean" from Italy as far as the Celts, Celtoligyes, and Iberians, through which, if a Greek or native travels, he is guarded by the inhabitants, that no harm may befall him; and that they exact punishment from those through whom such harm comes.

86 They say that among the Celts there is a drug called by them the "arrow drug"; this produces so swift a death that the Celtic hunters, when they have shot at a deer or other beast, run hastily, and cut out the wounded part of the flesh before the poison sinks in, both for the sake of its use, and to prevent the animal from rotting. They say that the bark of the oak‑tree has been discovered to be an antidote to this; others, however, speak of another leaf which they call "raven," because a raven has been seen by them, after tasting the drug and becoming ill, to run to this leaf, and after swallowing it to cease from its pain.

87 In Iberia they say that when the undergrowth has been burned by shepherds, and the earth heated by the wood, that the ground can be seen to flow with silver, and that after a time when earthquakes have occurred and the ground split, that much silver has been collected, which supplied the Massaliots with considerable revenue.

88 In the islands of Gymnesiae, which lie off Iberia, which they say are the greatest after the so‑called  p275 "seven,"⁠b oil is said to have come not from olives, but from the terebinth, which corresponds in every respect to olive‑oil. They also say that the Iberians who live there are so much given to women, that they will give the merchants four or five male persons in exchange for one female. bOn service with the Carthaginians, when they receive their pay, they apparently buy nothing but women. None of them is allowed to possess any gold or silver article. It is added that this is done with a view to preventing them from bringing in gold, because Heracles made an expedition against Iberia because of the wealth of the inhabitants.

89 In the country of the Massaliots about Liguria they say there is a lake, and that this boils up and overflows, and throws up an incredible quantity of fish. But when the etesian winds blow they heap the ground up over it, and so much dust arises there, that the surface of the lake vanishes and becomes like solid ground. Then the inhabitants easily raise fish out of the lake by spearing them with a three-pronged fork.

90 Some of the Ligurians are said to use the sling so well that, when they see a number of birds, they discuss with each other which each of them shall prepare to hit, on the assumption that they will easily get them all.

91 They tell also of another peculiarity among them: the women bear children while at work; after washing the infant in water, they immediately dig,  p277 and hoe, and do all the household jobs which they have to do when not bearing children.

92 This is another marvel among the Ligurians: they say that there is a river among them whose stream is raised so high that it is impossible to see people on the further bank.⁠c

93 In Tyrrhenia there is said to be an island called Aethaleia, in which in olden days copper was dug from a mine, from which all their copper vessels come; after that it was found no longer, but, after the lapse of considerable time, iron appeared from the same mine, which the Tyrrhenians who live in the district called Poplonium still use.

94 In Tyrrhenia also there is a city called Oenaria, which they say is remarkably strong: for in the middle of it is a wide hill, stretching up to a height of thirty stades, and below wood of all kinds, and water. 838aThey say that the inhabitants, fearing lest there should be a tyrant, set over themselves those of the household slaves who were freed, and these rule over them, and every year they set up others of the same kind.

95 In Cyme in Italy an under­ground chamber is shown apparently of the Sibyl, the reciter of the oracles, who they say was long-lived and remained a maiden, a native of Erythrae, but by some of those who live in Italy is said to come from Cyme, and by others called Melancraera. This place is said to be controlled by Leucanians. And they say that in those places about Cyme there is a river called Cetus, into which what is cast for a long time first grows a layer on top, and then becomes petrified.

 p279  96 They say that a cloak was made for Alcimenes, the Sybarite, so expensive that it was produced at Lacinium at the festival of Hera, to which all Italiots come, and was admired more than anything else displayed there; they say that Dionysius the Elder acquired it, and sold it to the Carthaginians for a hundred and twenty talents. It was purple, fifteen cubits in size, and on each side it was ornamented with embroidered figures, of Susa above, and of the Persians below; in the centre were Zeus, Hera, Themis, Athene, Apollo and Aphrodite. At one extremity was Alcimenes, and on either side Sybaris.

97 Near the promontory of Iapygia is a spot, in which it is alleged, so runs the legend, that the battle between Heracles and the giants took place; from here flows such a stream of ichor that the sea cannot be navigated at the spot owing to the heaviness of the scent. They say that in many parts of Italy there are many memorials of Heracles on the roads over which he travelled. But about Pandosia in Iapygia footprints of the god are shown, upon which no one may walk.

98 bAlso near the promontory of Iapygia is a stone large enough to load a wagon, which they say was lifted up and moved by him, and that too with one finger.

99 In the city of Orchomenus in Boeotia they say that a fox was seen, which, when pursued by a dog, dived into an under­ground passage, and that the dog dived in after it, and made a loud noise of barking, as if it had found a wide open space; the huntsmen, assuming some supernatural agency, broke down the entrance, and forced their way in as well;  p281 but seeing by some openings that light was coming in they had a complete view of the whole, and went and reported it to the magistrates.

100 In the island of Sardinia they say that there are many fine buildings arranged in the ancient Greek style, and among others domed buildings, carved with many shapes; these are said to have been built by Iolaus the son of Iphicles, when he took the Thespians, descended from Heracles, and sailed to those parts to colonize them, on the grounds that they belonged to him by his kinship with Heracles, because Heracles was master of all the country towards the west. Apparently the island was originally called Ichnussa, because its circumference made a shape like a man's footstep (Greek ἴχνος), and it is said before this time to have been prosperous and fruitful; for the legend was that Aristaeus, who, they say, was the most efficient husbandman in ancient times, ruled them, in a district previously full of many great birds. Now the island no longer bears anything, because the Carthaginians who got possession of it cut down all the fruits useful for food, and prescribed the penalty of death to the inhabitants, if any of them replanted them.

101 In one of the seven islands called those Aeolus, which is known as Lipara, runs a legend that there is a tomb, concerning which they tell many marvels; among other things they agree that it is not safe to approach the place by night, for the sound of drums and cymbals can be heard, and distinct laughter, with noise and the clapping of castanets.  p283 839aThere is a still more remarkable story about the cave; for someone once slept here drunk before dawn, and was sought for by his servants for three days, and on the fourth was found, and taken away for dead by the servants and put into his own tomb; after receiving all the usual rites he suddenly arose and told all that had happened to him. This strikes us as more like legend; but at the same time one must not pass over it without record, when making a catalogue of events on the spot.

102 Near Cyme in Italy there is a lake called Aornos; in itself it has no remarkable properties; but they say that hills lie round it in a circle not less than three stades high, and that the lake itself is circular in shape, having an incredible depth. But this seems remarkable; for though thick trees grow over it, and some even bend down to it, one can never see a leaf lying on the water, but the water is so clear that those who look into it are amazed. But on the land not far away from it hot water flows in many places, and the whole region is called Pyriphlegethon. It is not true that no bird flies over it; for those who have been there assert that there are a quantity of swans on it.

103 They say that the islands of Seirenusae lie near Italy off the promontory itself near the strait, which lies in front of the place, and separates the strait which surrounds Cyme, and that which cuts off the promontory called Poseidonia; on which  p285 stands a temple of the Sirens, and they are honoured very highly by the inhabitants with sacrifices punctually. In remembrance of their names they call one Parthenope, one Leuconia, and a third Ligeia.

104 bThere is said to be a mountain between Mentorice and Istriane called Delphium, having a high peak. When the Mentores who live near the Adriatic climb this peak they can apparently see ships sailing in the Pontus. There is a spot in the middle in which, when a common market is held, Lesbian, Chian and Thasian goods are bought from the merchants who come up from Pontus, and Corcyraean amphorae from those who come from the Adriatic.

105 They say that the Ister flowing from the forests called Hercynian divides, and one part flows into the Pontus, and the other into the Adriatic. We can see proof not only at the present time, but still more in ancient days that the river at these points is not navigable; for they say that Jason made his entry to the Pontus by the Cyanean rocks, but his exit by the Ister; and they produce a considerable number of other proofs, and in particular they show altars in the district dedicated by Jason, and in one of the islands of the Adriatic a temple of Artemis built by Medea. They also say that he could not have sailed past the so‑called Planktae, unless he had journeyed from there. Also in the island of Aethaleia, which lies in the Tyrrhenian Sea, they show other memorials of the heroes, and one which  p287 is called the "Pebble" memorial; for by the seashore they say that there are painted pebbles, and the Greeks who inhabit the island say that these derive their colour from the dirt removed by the scrapers when they oiled themselves; they say that these pebbles were to be seen from that date and not before, nor were they found afterwards. But they quote even more convincing evidence than this, that the voyage out did not take place through the Symplegades, using the poet himself in that place as a witness. For in explaining the seriousness of the danger he says that it is impossible to sail past the place.