Besides this, there are certain animals, which are harmless to the natives of the country, but destroy strangers; such are the little serpents at Tirynthus,2132 which are said to spring from out of the earth. In Syria, also, and especially on the banks of the Euphrates, the serpents never attack the Syrians when they are asleep, and even if they happen to bite a native who treads upon them, their venom is not felt; but to persons of any other country they are extremely hostile, and fiercely attack them, causing a death attended with great torture. On this account, the Syrians never kill them. On the contrary, on Latmos, a mountain2133 of Caria, as Aristotle tells us, strangers are not injured by the scorpions, while the natives are killed by them. But I must now give an account of other animals as well, and of the productions of the earth.2134
Summary.—Remarkable events, narratives, and observations, seven hundred and eighty-seven.
Roman authors quoted.—Mucianus,2135 Procilius,2136 Verrius Flaccus,2137 L. Piso,2138 Cornelius Valerianus,2139 Cato the Censor,2140 Fenestella,2141 Trogus,2142 the Register of the Triumphs,2143 Columella,2144 Virgil,2145 Varro,2146 Lucilius,2147 Metellus Scipio,2148 Cornelius Celsus,2149 Nigidius,2150 Trebius Niger,2151 Pomponius Mela,2152 Mamilius Sura.2153
Foreign authors quoted.—King Juba,2154 Polybius,2155 Herodotus,2156 Antipater,2157 Aristotle,2158 Demetrius2159 the physician, Democritus,2160 Theophrastus,2161 Euanthes,2162 Agriopas,2163 who wrote the “Olympionicæ,” King Hiero,2164 King Attalus,2165 Philometor, Ctesias,2166 Duris,2167 Philistus,2168 Archytas,2169 Phylarchus,2170 Amphilochus2171 of Athens, Anaxapolis2172 the Thasian, Apollodorus2173 of Lemnos, Aristophanes2174 the Milesian, Antigonus2175 the Cumæan, Agathocles2176 of Chios, Apollonius2177 of Pergamus, Aristander2178 of Athens, Bacchius2179 of Miletus, Bion2180 of Soli, Chæreas2181 the Athenian, Diodorus2182 of Priene, Dion2183 the Colophonian, Epigenes2184 the Rhodian, Euagon2185 of Thasos, Euphronius2186 of Athens, Hegesias2187 of Maronea, the Menanders2188 of Priene and of Heraclea, Menecrates2189 the poet, Androtion2190 who wrote on Agriculture, Æschrion2191 who wrote on Agriculture, Lysimachus2192 who wrote on Agriculture, Dionysius2193 who translated Mago, Diophanes2194 who made an epitome of the work of Dionysius, King Archelaus,2195 Nicander.2196