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κυδρουμένῳ ἔοικε. θαυμάσαι δὲ τοῦ ζῴου ὑπεράξιον καὶ ἐκεῖνο δήπου: θύραν γὰρ ὑπιὼν καὶ τὴν ἄγαν ὑψηλήν, ὃ δὲ ἐπικύπτει, ἀλαζονέστατα δρῶν ἐκεῖνος [p. 93] τοῦτο: φειδοῖ γὰρ τοῦ λόφου πράττειν ἔοικε τὸ εἰρημένον. οἱ κολοιοὶ δεινῶς φιλοῦσι τὸ ὁμόφυλον. τοῦτό τοι καὶ διαφθείρει αὐτοὺς πολλάκις, καὶ τό γε δρώμενον τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. ὅτῳ μέλει θηρᾶσαι κολοιούς, τοιαῦτα παλαμᾶται. ἔνθα οἶδεν αὐτῶν νομὰς καὶ τροφὰς καὶ ἀθροιζομένους ὁρᾷ κατ᾽ ἀγέλας, ἐνταῦθα λεκανίδας ἐλαίου μεστὰς διατίθησιν. οὐκοῦν διειδὲς μὲν τὸ ἔλαιον, περίεργον δὲ τὸ ὀρνίθιον, καὶ ἀφικνεῖται καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ σκεύους κάθηται, καὶ κύπτει κάτω καὶ ὁρᾷ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκιάν, καὶ οἴεται κολοιὸν βλέπειν ἄλλον, καὶ κατελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν σπεύδει. κάτεισί τε οὖν καὶ πτερύσσεται καὶ περιβάλλει τὸ ἔλαιον αὑτῷ, καὶ ἀναπτερυγίσαι ἥκιστός ἐστι, καὶ χωρὶς δικτύων καὶ πάγης καὶ ἁρπεδόνων τὸ ζῷον μένει ὡς ἂν εἴποις πεπεδημένον.
Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, Vol 1. Aelian. Rudolf Hercher. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1864. Keyboarding.
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