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ποῦ δὲ εἶδεν ἐκ κέρατος ἐλάφου
κισσὸν ἀναφύντα; γλαῦκες δέ, φησί, καὶ κόρακες ἡμέρας
ἀδυνατοῦσι βλέπειν: διὸ νύκτωρ τὴν τροφὴν ἑαυτοῖς
θηρεύουσι καὶ οὐ πᾶσαν νύκτα, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκρέσπερον,
καὶ τὰς ἰδέας δὲ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐμφερεῖς
εἶναι; τοῖς μὲν γὰρ γλαυκαί, τοῖς δὲ μέλαιναι, τοῖς
δὲ χαροποί. ἀνθρώποις δὲ ὅτι παντοῖος ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς
ἠθῶν τε διαφορὰς εἶναι περὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγει:
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ αἰγωποὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς ὀξύτητα
μὲν ὄψεως εὖ πεφυκέναι, τὰ δ᾽ ἤθη βελτίστους εἶναι.
καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς μὲν ἐκτὸς ἔχειν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς,
τοὺς δὲ ἐντός, ἄλλους δὲ μέσως. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐντὸς
ὀξυωπεστάτους εἶναι, τοὺς δ᾽ ἐκτὸς κακοηθεστάτους:
οἱ δὲ μέσως, φησίν, ἔχοντες ἐπιεικεῖς. εἶναι δέ τινας
καὶ σκαρδαμυκτικούς, τοὺς δ᾽ ἀτενεῖς, τοὺς δὲ μέσους:
ἀβεβαίους δ᾽ εἶναι τοὺς σκαρδαμυκτικούς, ἀναιδεῖς δ᾽
εἶναι τοὺς ἀτενεῖς: τοὺς δὲ μέσους βελτίστων ἠθῶν.
μόνον τε ἄνθρωπον τῶν ζῴων τὴν καρδίαν ἔχειν ἐν τοῖς
ἀριστεροῖς μέρεσι, τὰ δ᾽ ἄλλα [ζῷα] ἐν τῷ μέσῳ. καὶ τοὺς
ἄρρενας τῶν θηλειῶν πλείονας ὀδόντας ἔχειν. τετηρῆσθαί φησι τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ προβάτου καὶ ἐπὶ συὸς καὶ ἐπὶ
αἰγός. τῶν δὲ ἰχθύων οὐδένα γεννᾶσθαι ὄρχεις ἔχοντα:
μαστοὺς δὲ οὔτ᾽ ἰχθὺν ἔχειν οὔτε ὄρνιθας, δελφῖνα δὲ
μόνον οὐκ ἔχειν χολήν. ἔνιοι δέ, φησίν, ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ
ἥπατι οὐκ ἔχουσιν χολήν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῖς ἐντέροις, ὡς
ἔλοψ καὶ συναγρὶς καὶ σμύραινα καὶ ξιφίας καὶ χελιδών.
ἡ δὲ ἀμία παρ᾽ ὅλον τὸ ἔντερον παρατεταμένην ἔχει τὴν
χολήν, ἱέραξ δὲ καὶ ἰκτῖνος πρὸς τῷ ἥπατι καὶ τοῖς ἐντέροις: ὁ δ᾽ αἰγοκέφαλος πρὸς τῷ ἥπατι καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ,
περιστερὰ δὲ καὶ ὄρτυξ καὶ χελιδὼν οἳ μὲν πρὸς τοῖς ἐντέροις, οἳ δὲ πρὸς τῇ κοιλίᾳ.
Athenaeus. Deipnosophistae. Kaibel. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1887.
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