tnonly provided by fportfmen, who go in a party, to bring home
what they kill.
H a r e s are exceedingly numerous. Calling is pradlifed in
Rill weather from the latter end o f May to about the middle of
Auguft. Three or four men in a company ftaud filent and concealed
in a thicket, with guns pointedin different directions.
When all are ready, the caller a'pplies two of his fingersto his
lips, and fucking them, at firft’flowly and then fafter, produces
a fqueaking found; when the hares, within hearing,-, rufh to
the lpot. In this manner many-are flaughtered in a day. One
o f my companions, with Lombardi, a Turk and Greek or two/
who were adepts, killed eleven; among which was a female-big
with young. Thefe animals are faid to aflemble together, to
leap and play, at the full o f the moon; and, it is likely the
fhepherds, ^who live much abroad, obferviog and, Rftening to
them, learned to imitate their voices, to deceive, and make
them thus foolifhly abet their own deftrudtiqn, i
T h e wild beafts, Which find fhelter in the mountains, greatly
annoy the fhepherds ; and their folds are confiaptly guarded by
ieveral large fierce dogs. The perfon, who killed a wolf, was
entitled by a law of Solon to a reward; if a female to one
drachm, about feven-pence half-penny; i f a male, to five
drachms. Afterwards a talent, or one hundred and eighty
pounds fterling was paijd for a young w o lf; and double that
fum for one full grown. The peafant now produces .the ikin in
the Bazar or market, and is recompenfed by voluntary contribution,
Parnes, the mountain toward the CephilTus, is haunted,
befides wolves, by deer and foxes, as it formerly was by wild
boars and bears. The lportfmen lie in ambufh by the fprings,
which they frequent, waiting their approach in the dufk of
evening. Pliny* mentions the deer bred about Parnes and
Brileffus, as remarkable for four kidneys, and the hares as hav-
; * ‘1. i i . c. 37,
Ing
ing two livers *. The latter" peculiarity in fotöè, which we
pMr^hafed.' was much noticed by our Swift, who once brought
the two livers for my-irifpedtion on a plate. The youth o f
Athens were antiently trained to hunting a# a manly and ufeful
exercife.
T he favourite bird o f Minerva' Was the large horned owl.
The Athenians damped its effigy on their coin', and placed it as
her companion -in her templ#in the* Acropolis. We had not
been long at the convent before a pe'afant brought us one alive,
with the wing broken. This recovered, and was much vifited
during our ftay, as a novelty. Afterwards I faw another, flying,
in the day-time* They are as ravehöns as Cagles, and, i f prefled
by hunger, will attack lambs' ahd M idil5 On téavfftg'Athens,*
we let our venerable and voracious prjfoner at liberty, nor without
fear-that, after fo long confinement, he would be unable to
procure food, or, being unweildy, to efcape thé wild beafts,
which prowl nightly in queft of prey.
A bout the middle oif "Öéobei-, ’ while ';We - reftletf at the
convent, I had the fatisfa&ion o f feeing diftindtly the phenomenon
called a water-fpout from the window o f my apartment,
which looked toward the fea. The weather had changed
from fettled aiid pleafant, andclöuds refided' on the mountains,
black and awful, particularly on Hymettus, wnoTe fide and tops
were bovePed:. About feyen in thsmórnmg, wten I rofe, a
cloud tapering to a point had defcended in the gulfhetween the
iflands JEgina and Salamis. Round it at the .bottom was a
ffiinÉg ifilfe.' After a minute oir more, it began gradually to
contract itfelf, and retired very leifurely up again into the fky._
Wê had little rain1 this day, but at night pale lightning flafhed
at fliort- intervals, and thunder;, burfting over our heads, exceedingly
loud, rolled trèniendoüfly, and ft poured down as from.
opens fluices. Thé quantity of water, which fell, was anfwer-
able to the long and vifible preparation, but feafonable; feed
timh appfQathifig. ' ‘'""s
* THe partridges in Paphlagonia were found to have ttvo hearts, and the hares ia
Bifaltia two livers. A . Gellius, p. 906.
S A thens