[lit-ideas] Re: Polypvs mos natare svrsvm vestri adficio pipio in a domus svl...
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:49:18 EST
On the other hand, use small print, or you'll require an extra large.
And you HAVE to quote him appropriately as PLINY, never Juvenal:
In a way, it reminded me of Oppian's poetical description of olive-loving
tree octopuses.
Pliny it's doubtful saw the thing. Most likely he read it in Aristotle.
In his History of Animals, Aristotle notes in passing that
"the octopus is the only mollusc that ventures on to dry land; it walks by
preference on rough ground".
which fails to recall snails and slugs.
Pliny the Elder repeats in Nat. Hist. the observations (first published by
Trebius Niger) of Lucius Lucullus, proconsul of Hispania Bætica, who
described a giant polypus that was terrorizing Iberian fish-picklers by coming
out of the sea and robbing their salty stores.
"At Carteia, in the preserves there, a polypus was in the habit of coming
from the sea to the pickling-tubs that were left open, and devouring the
fish laid in salt there -- for it is quite astonishing how eagerly all
sea-animals follow even the very smell of salted condiments, so much so, that
it
is for this reason, that the fishermen take care to rub the inside of the
wicker fish-kipes with them. -- At last, by its repeated thefts and
immoderate depredations, it drew down upon itself the wrath of the keepers of
the
works. Palisades were placed before them, but these the polypus managed to
get over by the aid of a tree, and it was only caught at last by calling in
the assistance of trained dogs, which surrounded it at night, as it was
returning to its prey; upon which, the keepers, awakened by the noise, were
struck with alarm at the novelty of the sight presented. First of all, the
size of the polypus was enormous beyond all conception; and then it was
covered all over with dried brine, and exhaled a most dreadful stench. Who
could
have expected to find a polypus there, or could have recognized it as such
under these circumstances? They really thought that they were joining
battle with some monster, for at one instant, it would drive off the dogs by
its
horrible fumes, and lash at them with the extremities of its feelers;
while at another, it would strike them with its stronger arms, giving blows
with so many clubs, as it were; and it was only with the greatest difficulty
that it could be dispatched with the aid of a considerable number of
three-pronged fish-spears. The head of this animal was shewn to Lucullus: it
was
in size as large as a cask of fifteen amphoræ, and had a beard, to use the
expressions of Trebius himself, which could hardly be encircled with both
arms, full of knots, like those upon a club, and thirty feet in length; the
suckers or calicules, as large as an urn, resembled a basin in shape, while
the teeth again were of a corresponding largeness: its remains, which were
carefully preserved as a curiosity, weighed seven hundred pounds. [Chapter
46, Book 9.]
Aelian, in his On the Characteristics of Animals contains a similar
encounter:
"Octopuses naturally with the lapse of time attain to enormous proportions
and approach cetaceans and are actually reckoned as such. At any rate I
learn of an octopus at Dicaearchia in Italy which attained to a monstrous bulk
and scorned and despised food from the sea and such pasturage as it
provided. And so this creature actually came out on to the land and seized
things
there. Now it swam up through a subterranean sewer that discharged the
refuse of the aforesaid city into the sea and emerged in a house on the shore
where some Iberian merchants had their cargo, that is, pickled fish from
that country in immense jars; it threw its tentacles round the earthenware
vessels and with its grip broke them and feasted on the pickled fish. And
when the merchants entered and saw the broken pieces, they realised that a
large quantity of their cargo had disappeared; and they were amazed and could
not guess who had robbed them: they saw that no attempt had been made upon
the doors; the roof was undamaged; the walls had not been broken through.
They saw also the remains of the pickled fish that had been left behind by
the uninvited guest. So they decided to have their most courageous servant
armed and waiting in ambush in the house. Well, during the night the Octopus
crept up to its accustomed meal and clasping the vessels, as an athelete
puts a strangle-hold upon his adversary with all his might gripping firmly,
the robber -- if I may so call the Octopus -- crushed the earthenware with
the greatest ease. It was full moon, and the house was full of light, and
everything was quite visible. But the servant was not for attacking the
brute single-handed as he was afraid, moreover his adversary was too big for
one man, but in the morning he informed the merchants what had happened. They
could not believe their ears. Then some of them remembering how heavily
they had been mulcted, were for risking the danger and were eager to encounter
their enemy, while others in their thirst for this singular and incredible
spectacle voluntarily shut themselves up with their companions in order to
help them. Later, in the evening the marauder paid his visit and made for
his usual feast. Thereupon some of them closed off the conduit; others took
arms against the enemy and with choppers and razors well sharpened cut the
tentacles, just as vine-dressers and woodmen lop the tips of the branches
of an oak. And having cut away its strength, at long last they overcame it
not without considerable labour. And what was so strange was that merchants
captured the fish on dry land. Mischief and craft are plainly seen to be
characteristics of this creature. [Chapter 6, Book 13. Translation by Alwyn
Faber Scholfield, 1958.] Fisherfolk assert that even octopuses come ashore
if a sprig of olive is laid upon the beach. [Chapter 37, Book 1.]
If a field, or if trees with fruit upon them are close by the sea, farmers
often find that in summer Octopuses and Osmyluses have emerged from the
waves, have crept up the trunks, have enveloped the branches, and are
plucking the fruit. So when they have caught them they punish them. And as
quittance for what the aforesaid fish have reaped they provide the owners of
the
pillaged fruit with a feast. [Chapter 45, Book 9.]
These olivevorous tree octopuses are also described by Athenaeus in his
Deipnosophistae, who adds figs to their diet:
And sometimes they [polypi] have been seen leaving the sea, and going on
dry land, especially towards any rough or rugged ground; for they shun smooth
places: and of all plants they especially delight in the olive, and they
are often found embracing the trunk of an olive with their feelers. They
have also been discovered clinging to such fig-trees as grow near the
seashore, and eating the figs, as Clearchus tells us, in his treatise on those
Animals which live in the Water. And this also is a proof that they are fond
of
the olive, -- that if any one drops a branch of this tree down into the
sea, in a place where there are polypi, and holds it there a little time, he
without any trouble draws up as many polypi as he pleases, clinging to the
branch. [Chapter 103, Book 7.]
The question for Ritchie is:
Could humans have played a similar role in the evolution of the Pacific
Northwest Tree Octopus?
Perhaps octopuses originally came ashore looking for the salmon they saw
humans catching. When they discovered the humans' smoked salmon -- so unlike
the fish they were used to, and so very, very tasty -- they wanted more
than they could steal from the humans, and thus took to the similarly flavored
redcedar trees under the mistaken belief that "tree fish" -- naturally
imbued with the smoky redolence of the woods -- dwell there. Not ever finding
these mythic fish, they eventually gave up their quixotic search, but,
having become accustomed to their arboreal life, continued to call the trees
home.
Cheers,
JLS
griceclub.blogspot.com
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