De sollertia animalium

The accounts given of the crocodile are similar in other respects, but the animal’s ability to estimate the right place goes beyond man’s power to guess or calculate the cause. Hence they affirm that this creature’s foreknowledge is divine and not rational. For neither to a greater or a less distance, but just so far as the Nile will spread that season and cover the land in flood, just so far does she go to deposit her eggs, with such accuracy that any farmer finding the eggs may know himself and predict to others how far the river will advance.[*](See Aelian, De Natura Animal. v. 52; and compare B. Evans, The Natural History of Nonsense, p. 33.) And her purpose in being so exact is to prevent either herself or her eggs getting wet when she sits on them. When they are hatched, the one which, upon emerging, does not immediately seize in its mouth anything that comes along, fly or midge or worm or straw or plant, the mother tears to pieces and bites to death[*](Cf. Aelian, De Natura Animal. ix. 3; contrast Pliny, Nat. Hist.x. 10; Antigonus, 46, of the sea eagle; Lucan, ix. 902 ff., of the eagle. See also Julian, Epistle 59 (383 c); 78 (418 d) with Wright’s note (L.C.L. vol. iii, p. 259, n. 2).); but those that are bold and active she loves and tends, thus

bestowing her affection by judgement, as the wisest of men think right, not by emotion.[*](Apparently with reference to Theophrastus, frag. 74 (cf. Mor. 482 b).)

Furthermore, seals[*](Cf. Aelian, De Natura Animal. ix. 9; Oppian, Hal. i. 686 ff.; Pliny, Nat. Hist. ix. 41.) too bear their young on dry land and little by little induce their offspring to try the sea, then quickly take them out again. This they do often at intervals until the young are conditioned in this way to feel confidence and enjoy life in the sea.

Frogs in their coupling use a call, the so-called ololygon,[*](See Gow on Theocritus, vii. 139; Boulenger, Animal Mysteries, pp. 67 f.) a cry of wooing and mating. When the male has thus attracted the female, they wait for the night together, for they cannot consort in the water and during the day they are afraid to do so on land; but when the darkness falls, they come out and embrace with impunity. On other occasions when their cry is shrill, it is because they expect rain.[*](Cf. Mor. 912 c-d; Aratus, Phaenomena, 946 ff.; Cf. Aelian, De Natura Animal. vi. 19; ix. 13.) And this is among the surest of signs.