Furthermore, many of the Greeks have temples and altars to Artemis Dictynna As though Artemis of the Net ; see Callimachus, Hymn iii. 198. and Apollo Delphinios; and that place which the god had chosen for himself the poet Homer, Hymn to Apollo , iii. 393 ff. (as restored by van Herwerden). For Delphinian Apollo see lines 495 f. says was settled by Cretans under the guidance of a dolphin. It was not, however, the god who changed his shape and swam in front of the expedition, as tellers of tales relate; instead, he sent a dolphin to guide the men and bring them to Cirrha. The port of Delphi. They also relate that Soteles and Dionysius, the men sent by Ptolemy Soter Cf. Mor . 361 f; Tacitus, Histories , iv. 83-84. to Sinope to bring back Serapis, were driven against their will by a violent wind out of their course beyond Malea, with the Peloponnesus on their right. When they were lost and discouraged, a dolphin appeared by the prow and, as it were, invited them to follow and led them into such parts as had safe roadsteads with but a gentle swell until, by conducting and escorting the vessel in this manner, it brought them to Cirrha. Whence it carne about that when they had offered thanksgiving for their safe landing, they carne to see that of the two statues they should take away the one of Pluto, but should merely take an impress of that of Persephone and leave it behind. That is, in Sinope. Well might the god be fond of the music-loving character of the dolphin, Cf. Mor . 162 f; Pliny, Nat. Hist. xi. 137. to which Pindar Page 597, ed. Sandys (L.C.L.); frag. 125, line 69-71 ed. Bowra (O.C.T.); frag. 222. 14-17, ed. Turyn. The quotation is found also in Mor. 704 f - 705 a. The lines were partially recovered in Oxyrhynchus Papyri , iii. 408 b (1903); for the critical difficulties see Turyn’s edition. likens himself, saying that he is roused Like a dolphin of the sea Who on the waveless deep of ocean Is moved by the lovely sound of flutes. Yet it is even more likely that its affection for men Pliny, Nat. Hist. x. 24. For Dionysus and the pirate-dolphins see the seventh Homeric Hymn and Frazer on Apollodorus, iii. 5. 3 (L.C.L., vol. i, p. 332). renders it dear to the gods; for it is the only creature who loves man for his own sake. The hunting of dolphins is immoral : Oppian, Hal. v. 416 (see the whole passage). Of the land animals, some avoid man altogether, others, the tamest kind, pay court for utilitarian reasons only to those who feed them, as do dogs and horses and elephants to their familiars. Martins take to houses to get what they need, darkness and a minimum of security, but avoid and fear man as a dangerous wild beast. Cf. Mor . 728 a; but see Aelian, De Natura Animal. i. 52; Arrian, Anabasis , i. 25. 8. To the dolphin alone, beyond all others, nature has granted what the best philosophers seek: friendship for no advantage. Though it has no need at all of any man, yet it is a genial friend to all and has helped many. The story of Arion Herodotus, i. 24; Mair on Oppian, Hal. v. 448. In Mor. 161 a ff. the story is told by an eye-witness at the banquet of the Seven Wise Men. is familiar to everyone and widely known; and you, my friend, opportunely put us in mind of the tale of Hesiod, Cf. 969 e supra . But you failed to reach the end of the tale. Homer, Iliad , ix. 56. When you told of the dog, you should not have left out the dolphins, for the information of the dog that barked and rushed with a snarl on the murderers would have been meaningless if the dolphins had not taken up the corpse as it was floating on the sea near the Nemeon The shrine of Zeus at Oeneon in Locris. and zealously passed it from group to group until they put it ashore at Rhium and so made it clear that the man had been stabbed. Myrsilus Müller, Frag. Hist. Graec. iv, p. 459; Jacoby, Frag. d. griech. Hist. ii, frag. 12; cf. Mor . 163 b-d; Athenaeus, 466 c gives as his authority Anticleides. of Lesbos tells the tale of Enalus the Aeolian who was in love with that daughter of Smintheus who, in accordance with the oracle of Amphitrite, was cast into the sea by the Penthilidae, whereupon Enalus himself leaped into the sea and was brought out safe on Lesbos by a dolphin. And the goodwill and friendship of the dolphin for the lad of Iasus Aelian, De Natura Animal. vi. 15 ( cf. viii. 11), tells the story in great detail and with several differences; Cf. also the younger Pliny’s famous letter (ix. 33) on the dolphin of Hippo and the vaguer accounts in Aelian, De Natura Animal. ii. 6; Antigonus, 55; Philo, 67 (p. 132). Gulick on Athenaeus, 606 c-d collects the authorities; see also the dolphin stories in Pliny, Nat. Hist. ix. 25 ff. and Mair on Oppian, Hal. v. 458; Thompson, Glossary , pp. 54 f. Iasus is a city in Ionian Caris on the gulf of the same name. was thought by reason of its greatness to be true love. For it used to swim and play with him during the day, allowing itself to be touched; and when the boy mounted upon its back, it was not reluctant, but used to carry him with pleasure wherever he directed it to go, while all the inhabitants of Iasus flocked to the shore each time this happened. Once a violent storm of rain and hail occurred and the boy slipped off and was drowned. The dolphin took the body and threw both it and itself together on the land and would not leave until it too had died, thinking it right to share a death for which it imagined that it shared the responsibility. And in memory of this calamity the inhabitants of Iasus have minted their coins with the figure of a boy riding a dolphin. The story has a happier ending in one version found in Pliny, Nat. Hist. ix. 27: the dolphin dies, but Alexander the Great makes the boy head of the priesthood of Poseidon in Babylon. From this the wild tales about Coeranus Aelian, De Natura Animal. viii. 3; Athenaeus, 606 e-f cites from Phylarchus, Book XII (Jacoby, Frag. d. griech. Hist. i, p. 340). There are many other examples of dolphins rescuing people, such as the fragment of Euphorion in Page, Greek Literary Papyri , i, p. 497 (L.C.L.). gained credence. He was a Parian by birth who, at Byzantium, bought a draught of dolphins which had been caught in a net and were in danger of slaughter, and set them all free. A little later he was on a sea voyage in a penteconter, so they say, with fifty pirates aboard; in the strait between Naxos and Paros the ship capsized and all the others were lost, while Coeranus, they relate, because a dolphin sped beneath him and buoyed him up, was put ashore at Sicinus, An island south of Paros. near a cave which is pointed out to this day and bears the name of Coeraneum. Cf. Edmonds, Elegy and Iambus , ii, p. 321 (L.C.L.). It is on this man that Archilochus is said to have written the line Out of fifty, kindly Poseidon left only Coeranus. Edmonds, op. cit. ii, p. 164; Diehl, Anth. Lyrica , i, p. 243. frag. 117. When later he died, his relatives were burning the body near the sea when a large shoal of dolphins appeared off shore as though they were making it plain that they had come for the funeral, and they waited until it was completed. On the grief of dolphins see Pliny, Nat. Hist. ix. 25, 33. That the shield of Odysseus had a dolphin emblazoned on it, Stesichorus Edmonds, Lyra Graeca , ii, p. 66, frag. 71. also has related; and the Zacynthians perpetuate the reason for it, as Critheus Nothing whatever is known about this author, whose name may be given incorrectly in our mss. testifies. For when Telemachus was a small boy, so they say, he fell into the deep inshore water and was saved by dolphins who came to his aid and swam with him to the beach; and that was the reason why his father had a dolphin engraved on his ring and emblazoned on his shield, making this requital to the animal. Yet since I began by saying that I would not tell you any tall tales and since, without observing what I was up to, I have now, besides the dolphins, run aground on both Odysseus and Coeranus to a point beyond belief, I lay this penalty upon myself: to conclude here and now. ARISTOTIMUS. Perhaps rather Heracleon (975 c) or Optatus (965 d). So, gentlemen of the jury, you may now cast your votes. SOCLARUS. As for us, we have for some time held the view of Sophocles Nauck, Trag. Graec. Frag. p. 314, frag. 783; Pearson, iii, p. 69, frag. 867. : It is a marvel how of rival sides The strife of tongues welds both so close together. For by combining what you have said against each other, you will together put up a good fight against those The Stoics, as always in this essay. who would deprive animals of reason and understanding. To some critics the ending is suspicious because of its brevity and vagueness; they regard it as added by an ancient editor who could not find the original termination. But the sudden turn at the end may merely indicate that the whole debate is in reality a single argument to prove the thesis that animals do have some degree of rationality (see also the Introduction to this dialogue). APPENDIX: CLASSIFIED ZOOLOGICAL INDEX A word of caution is needed: Plutarch emphatically was no naturalist. The zoological material is a hodge-podge of misinformation dredged up from various zoological sources, seasoned here and there with personal contributions, which are not necessarily correct. In the original sources, terms for specific types of animals were probably used with considerable precision. It is my impression that Plutarch often had only a vague idea of the meaning of such terms. For example, he consistently uses the specific term for a rock dove, but probably had in mind any type of domestic dove. Similarly, dorcas was used in Greece commonly as a term for the roedeer, but in Asia Minor for the common gazelle. In the original sources the word probably denoted specifically one or the other, depending on where the man lived; but Plutarch may well have used the term vaguely for any type of small deer, including gazelles and antelopes. Alfred C. Andrews 1. Mammals Αἴλουρος : wild cat of Egypt ( Felis ocreata Gm.) and of Europe ( F. silvestris Schreb.) and domestic form ( F. domestica Briss.). Αἴξ : domestic goat, Capra hircus L. Ἀλώπηξ : fox, esp. Vulpes vulgaris Flem. Ἄρκτος : bear, more esp. the European brown bear, Ursus arctos L. Βοῦς : domestic ox, Bos taurus L. Γαλέη ( γαλῆ ): the weasel ( Putorius vulgaris Cuv.), and such similar animals as the marten ( Martes sp.) and the polecat or foumart ( Mustela putorius L.). Δασύρους : hare (see Λαγωός ). Δελφίς : dolphin, esp. Delphinus delphis L. Δορκάς : in Greece, usually a term for the roedeer, Capreolus capreolus L.; in Asia Minor, usually a term for the common gazelle, Gazella dorcas L. * Ἔλαφος : in Greece, usually a term for the red-deer, Cervus elaphus L.; in Ionia, usually a term for the fallow-deer, C. dama L. ᾽Ελέφας : elephant, Elephas indicus L. and Ε. africanus Blumenb. Ἔριφος : usually a kid (see Αἴξ ); sometimes a very young lamb (see Ὄϊς ). ᾽Εχῖνος ( χερσαῖος ): common hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus L. Ἡμίονος : mule, usually by mare and he-ass, sometimes by stallion and she-ass; in Syria, a term for the wild ass ( Asinus onager Sm.) or the dschigetai ( A. hemionus Sm.). Ἵππος : horse, Caballus caballus L. Ἵππος ποτάμιος : hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius L. Ἰχνεύμων : ichneumon, Herpestes ichneumon L. Κάμηλος : the Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus L., and the Arabian camel or dromedary, C. dromedarius L. Κάπρος : wild boar, mostly Sus scrofa ferus Rütimeyer. Κῆτος : in Plutarch usually whale, as in 980 F. See also Κῆτος under FISHES. Κριός : ram (see Ὀϊς ). Κύων : dog, Canis familiaris L. Λαγωός : hare, esp. the common European hare ( Lepus europaeus Pall.), to a lesser degree the variable hare ( L. timidus L.). Λέων : lion, Felis leo L. Λύνξ : lynx, Lynx lynx L.; caracal, Lynx caracal Güld. Λύκος : wolf, Canis lupus L. Ὄϊς : domestic sheep, Ovis aries L. Ὄνος : domestic ass, Asinus domesticus Sm. Ὀρεύς : mule (see Ἡμίονος ). Ὄρυξ : chiefly the scimitar-horned oryx ( Oryx leucoryx Pall.) and the straight-horned oryx ( O. beisa Rüppel). Πάρδαλις : panther or leopard, Felis pardus antiquorum Smith. Πρόβατον : sheep (see Ὄϊς ). Σύς : pig, Sus scrofa domesticus Rütimeyer. Ταῦρος : bull (see Βοῦς ). Τίγρις : tiger, Felis tigris L. Φώην : seal, including the common seal ( Phoca vitulina L.) and the monk seal ( P. monachus Herm.). 2. Birds Ἀετός : eagle, esp. Aquila sp. Ἀηδών : nightingale, chiefly Luscinia megarhyncha Brehm. Ἀλεκτρυών : domestic cock, Gallus domesticus Briss. Ἀλκυών : kingfisher, Alcedo ispida L. Γέρανος : common crane, Grus grus L. Ἐρωδιός : heron, including the common heron ( Ardea cinerea L.), the greater European egret ( Herodias alba Gray), the lesser European egret ( Garzetta garzetta L.), and the bittern ( Botaurus stellaris L.). Ἶβις : ibis, including the sacred white ibis ( Ibis aethiopica Ill.) and the black ibis ( Plegades falcinellus Kaup.). Ἱεραξ : smaller hawks and falcons generically. Ἰκτῖνος : kite, including the common kite ( Milvus ictinus Sav.) and the black kite ( Μ. ater Gm.). Κίττα : jay, Garrulus glandarius L.; sometimes the magpie, Pica caudata L. Κολοιός : jackdaw, Corvus monedula L. Κόραξ : raven, Corvus corax L. Κορώνη : crow ( Corvus corone L.) and hooded crow ( C. cornix L.). Κύκνος : swan, Cygnus olor Gra. and C. musicus Bkst. Μέροψ : bee-eater, Merops apiaster L. Πελαργός : stork, esp. Ciconia alba L. Πέρδιξ : partridge, esp. the Greek partridge, Alectoris graeca Kaup; in Italy also the red-legged partridge, A. rufa Kaup. Περιστερά : rock-dove, Columba livia L.; domestic rock-dove, C. livia domestica L. Τροχίλος : Egyptian plover, Pluvianus aegyptius Viell.; elsewhere also the common European wren, Troglodytes troglodytes L. Χελιδών : swallow, including the chimney swallow ( Chelidon rustica L.) and the house-martin ( Chelidon urbica Boie). Χήν : as a wild type, the gray or graylag goose ( Anser cinereus Meyer) and the bean goose ( Anser segetum Bonn.), often the domestic type of the gray goose. Ψάρ : starling, Sturnus vulgaris L. Ψιττακός : parrot, perhaps esp. Psittacus alexandri L. and P. torquatus Gm. Ὠτίς : bustard, Otis tarda L. Ὦτος : a horned or eared owl, not more specifically identifiable. 3. REPTILES AND AMPHIBIA Βάτραχος : frog, Rana sp. and allied genera. Κροκόδειλος : Nile crocodile, Crocodilus niloticus Laur. Ὄφις : serpent generically. Χαμαιλέων : the African chameleon, Chameleo vulgaris Latr. Χελώνη ( χερσαία ): tortoise, Testudo graeca L. and Τ. marginata Schoepff.; ( θαλαττία ): sea-turtle, Thalassochelys corticata Rondel. 4. FISHES Ἁλιεύς : fishing-frog, Lophius piscatorius L. Ἀλώπηξ : fox-shark, Alopecias vulpes Bp. Ἀμία : bonito, more esp. the pelamid or belted bonito, Sarda sarda Cuv., to a lesser degree the bonito or striped-bellied tunny, Katsuwonus pelamis Kish. Ἀνθίας : in 977 c probably the Mediterranean barbier, Serranus anthias C. V.; sometimes spoken of as a much larger fish, then of uncertain identity. Βελόνη : usually the pipefish ( Syngnathus rubescens Risso and S. acus L.) and the garfish ( Belone imperialis Vincig. and Strongylura acus Lacép.); in 983 C indeterminable. Γαλεός : generic term for sharks and dogfishes, more esp. Scyllium canicula Cuv., S. catulus Cuv., and Mustelus vulgaris Müll. Γαλῆ : principally the hake and rockling, Phycis sp. and Motella sp. Γόγγρος : conger-eel, Conger vulgaris Cuv. Ἔλλοψ : probably mostly the common sturgeon, Acipenser sturio L. Ἡγεμών : usually the pilot-fish, Naucrates ductor Cuv.; in 980 F apparently also one of the globe-fishes, such as Diodon hystrix L. Θρίσσα : probably the shad, Alosa vulgaris C. V., or the sardinelle, Sardinella aurita C. V. Θύννος : tunny, mostly the common tunny, Thunnus thynnus L. Ἱερός : sacred, an epithet applied to several fish, more especially the Ἀμθίας , the gilthead, the sturgeon, the dolphin, and the pilotfish. Ἰουλίς : rainbow-wrasse, Coris iulis Gth. Κεστρεύς : the gray mullet in general, sometimes the common gray mullet, Mugil capito Cuv., in particular. Κῆτος : sometimes a large sea monster (as in 981 D), in other authors sometimes a huge fish (such as a large tunny), but more commonly, and usually in Plutarch, a whale. Κολίας : coly-mackerel, Pneumatophorus colias Gm. Κωβιός : goby, chiefly the black goby, Gobius niger L. Λάβραξ : sea-bass, Labrax lupus Cuv. Μορμύρος : type of sea bream, the mormyrus, Pagellus mormyrus C. V. Μύραινα : moray or murry, Muraena helena L. Νάρκη : torpedo or electric ray, esp. Torpedo marmorata Risso, less commonly Τ. narce Nardo and Τ. hebetans Löwe. Περαίας : a type of gray mullet ( Mugil sp.). Πηλαμύς : year-old tunny (see Θύννος ). Σαργός : sargue, esp. Sargus vulgaris Geoff. Σκάρος : parrot-fish, Scarus cretensis C. V. Σκορίος : sculpin, Scorpaena scrofa L. and S. porcus L. Τρίγλα : the red or plain surmullet, Mullus barbatus L., and the striped or common surmullet, Μ. surmuletus L. Φυκίς : a wrasse, probably specifically Crenilabrus pavo C. V. Χρυσωρός : gilthead, Chrysophrys aurata C. V. 5. MOLLUSCS Κόγχη : mussels in general, including oysters. Λαγωός ( θαλάττιος ): sea-hare, Aplysia depilans L. Ὄστρεον : sometimes a generic term for mussels; more commonly a specific term for the common European oyster, Ostrea edulis L.; occasionally a term for other species of oyster, such as O. lamellosa Brocchi and O. cristata Lam. Πίννη : pinna, especially Pinna nobilis L.; but also P. rudis L., P. rotundata L., and P. pectinata L. Πολύπους : octopus, Octopus vulgaris Lam. Πορφύρα : purplefish, Murex trunculus L., Μ. brandaris L., and Thais haemastoma Lam. Σηπία : cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis L. 6. CRUSTACEA Κάραβος : rock lobster, Palinurus vulgaris Latr. Καρκίνος : crab, Decapoda brachyura Lam. Πάγουρος : probably the common edible crab, Cancer pagurus L. Πιννοτήρης : pinna-guard, Pinnoteres veterum L. Σπογγοτήρης : sponge-guard, Typton spongicola Costa. 7. INSECTS AND SPIDERS Ἀράχνης : spider (class Arachnoidea, order Araneida). Μέλιττα : bee generically, but mostly domestic honeybee, Apis mellifera L. Μύρμηξ : ant generically (family Formicidae). Τέττιξ : cicada, esp. Cicada plebeia Scop, and C. orni L. 8. ECHINODERMS Ἀστήρ : starfish generically, Asterias sp. Ἐχῖνος ( θαλάττιος ): sea-urchin, especially Echinus esculentus Lam. and Strongylocentrotus lividus Brdt. 9. PORIFERA Σπόγγος : sponge, chiefly Euspongia officinalis Bronn. and Hippospongia equina Schmidt.