The Boys' and Girls' Pliny · the Elder Pliny
CONTENTS.
_BOOK I._ DEDICATION. CHAP. PAGE Caius Plinius Secundus to his Friend Titus Vespasian 1 _BOOK II._ AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD AND THE ELEMENTS. I. The Character and Form of the World 9 II. Of God 12 III. The Dimensions of the World 15 IV. Of the Stars which appear suddenly, or of Comets 16 V. The Doctrine of Hipparchus about the Stars 17 VI. Of the Stars which are Named Castor and Pollux 18 VII. Of Thunder and Lightning 19 VIII. Nature of the Earth 20 IX. Italy 25 X. The Hyperboreans 27 XI. Britannia 29 XII. Mount Atlas 30 XIII. The Island of Taprobana 31 _BOOK III._ MAN, HIS BIRTH AND HIS ORGANIZATION. I. Man 37 II. The Wonderful Forms of Different Nations 40 III. Instances of Extraordinary Strength 49 IV. Instances of Remarkable Agility and Acuteness of Sight 50 V. Vigor of Mind, and Courage 51 VI. Men of Remarkable Genius and Wisdom 57 _BOOK IV._ THE NATURE OF TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS. I. Elephants; their Capacity 60 II. The Combats of Elephants 66 III. The Way in which Elephants are Caught 68 IV. The Age of the Elephant, and Other Particulars 69 V. The Lion 71 VI. Wonderful Feats Performed by Lions 74 VII. Panthers and Tigers 78 VIII. The Camel 80 IX.
The Rhinoceros and the Crocotta 82 X. The Animals of Æthiopia; Wild Beasts which Kill with their Eyes 84 XI. Wolves; Serpents 85 XII. The Crocodile and the Hippopotamus 88 XIII. Prognostics of Danger Derived from Animals 92 XIV. The Hyæna 93 XV. Deer 94 XVI. The Chameleon 97 XVII. Bears and their Cubs 98 XVIII. Hedgehogs 100 XIX. The Wild Boar 101 XX. Apes 102 _BOOK V._ DOMESTIC ANIMALS. I. The Dog; Examples of its Attachment to its Master 104 II. The Horse 107 III. The Ox 112 IV. The Egyptian Apis 114 V. Sheep and their Wool 115 VI. Different Kinds of Cloths 118 VII. Goats 120 _BOOK VI._ THE NATURAL HISTORY OF FISHES. I. Why the Largest Animals are Found in the Sea 121 II. The Forms of the Tritons and Nereids 124 III. The Balæna and the Orca 125 IV. Dolphins 127 V. The Various Kinds of Turtles 133 VI. Distribution of Aquatic Animals into Various Species 134 VII. Fishes Valued for the Table 139 VIII. Peculiar Fishes 142 IX. Bloodless Fishes 144 X. Various Kinds of Shell-Fish 151 XI. Pearls 153 XII. The Nature of the Murex and the Purple 160 XIII. Bodies which have a Third Nature, that of the Animal and Vegetable Combined 164 XIV. The Shark 165 XV.
Oyster-Beds, and Fish-Preserves 167 XVI. Land-Fishes 169 XVII. How the Fish Called the Anthias is Taken 170 XVIII. The Echeneis and the Torpedo 172 XIX. The Instincts and Peculiarities of Fishes 174 XX. Coral 176 XXI. The Various Kinds of Oysters 177 _BOOK VII._ THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. I. The Ostrich 180 II. The Phoenix 181 III. The Eagle 182 IV. The Vulture and the Hawk 187 V. The Crow, the Raven, and the Owl 191 VI. The Woodpecker of Mars 193 VII. The Peacock and the Rooster 194 VIII. The Goose 197 IX. Cranes 198 X. Storks and Swans 199 XI. Foreign Birds which Visit Us 201 XII. Swallows 203 XIII. Birds which take their Departure from Us in Winter 204 XIV. The Nightingale 206 XV. The Halcyons: the Halcyon Days that are Favorable to Navigation 208 XVI. The Instinctive Cleverness Displayed by Birds in the Construction of their Nests 209 XVII. The Acanthyllis and the Partridge 210 XVIII. Pigeons 213 XIX. Different Modes of Flight and Progression in Birds 215 XX. Strange and Fabulous Birds 216 XXI. The Art of Cramming Poultry.--Aviaries 224 XXII. Peculiarities of Animals 226 _BOOK VIII._ THE VARIOUS KINDS OF INSECTS. I. The Extreme Smallness of Insects 232 II. Whether Insects Breathe, and Whether they have Blood 234 III. Bees 236 IV.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.