The secrets and wonders of the world. A booke right rare and straunge, containing many excellent properties, giuen to man, beastes, foules, fishes and serpents, trees, plants &c. Abstracted out of that excellent naturall historiographer Plinie. Translated out of French into English.

The ninth Booke treateth of Water beastes, and of Fishes.

IN the Sea there are many great beastes, aswell as on earth for the moisture thereof, and because it is more lar∣ger and bigger. Also there is many monsters and di∣uersitie in many fishes, for they couple in many kindes, and there is the similitude of all kinde of beastes on the earth, and rather more.

Whales are the most greatest and grossest beastes in the Sea, there are of two hundreth yardes long. In many places there are rib bones of Whales of twenty yardes.

Alexāder the great was afrayed to méete them, least his Nauy should haue perished. In the Sea there are Eeles thrée hundreth foote long.

In the night there commeth many fishes out of the Sea, that wil eate the corne in the fields, & after returne againe.

There is in the Sea Mermaides that haue bene séene, and some that haue the shape of men, and their voyce like vnto mens voice, hauing the body of mans shape, and the lower parts scaled like fishes, with a taile.

And there are Wolues, Horses, Asses, Hogges & other sea beastes, as on the earth. If the fishes aspire and respire as other beastes, there are diuers opinions.

Plinie doeth beléeue that the most part sléepeth & respi∣reth, except those that haue no liuer, and in stéede of blood haue humor.

The Dolphin is the most swiftest fish in the Sea, and most hardest to be taken: euery one foloweth his like, they

haue yong in ten monethes in Sommer, and nourish them as doe the Whales, the olde ones carry the yong ones, and there is alwayes a great Dolphin, that followeth the little one, they haue the tongue mouing like a Hog.

Aboue the nature of other fishes, they loue yong childrē, and the sounde of Instruments, they liue three hundreth yéeres, and they haue their greatnesse at tenne yéeres, they reioyce when one calleth them Symon, and they loue hu∣maine voyce.

Many examples are both séene and reade of little chil∣dren, that they haue caried by Sea on their backes and brought backe againe without doing them any harme.

Shell fishes are so great in some places, that with their shelles they couer their houses.

The beastes of the Sea haue diuers clothings, some are couered with leather, and with haire, as the Sea calfe, some onely with leather as the Dolphins, others with great thicke and harde shelles, other softer shelles, as Oy∣sters, Cockles, and Muscles, that haue no heads, others with sharpe prickles, as the Ecchinus called the Sea Por∣cupen, others with scales, as Carpes and many other fish, others with rough skinnes with the which they shaue fine wood and Iuory, some with soft skinnes, and others that haue none.

The Sea calfe which is clothed with skinne and haire, they ioyne Male and Female together as Dogges, and they neuer haue but two at a burthen, they nourish their yong ones with their pappes or tettes, and are deliuered on the lande, and within twelue dayes after they bring thē to the Sea.

The Sea calfe, is more grieued and more constrained to sléepe then any other beast, and therfore their skinne put on a mans head, doeth prouoke him to sléepe.

Great is the diuersitie of beastes, in some there is nei∣ther bone nor thorne, and of many kindes there is no male.

Among the fishes the Females are greater then the

Males, there are some that haue their scales tending to∣wards their heads, cleane cōtrarie to the nature of others.

Some there are that goe alwayes to sléepe vpon the drie lande.

The Whale maketh her yong ones aliue without egs.

Eeles liue commōly eight yéere, they will liue six daies without water, specially when the winde is at West, and lesse with other windes.

In Winter they couet déepe and cleare waters, and swimme in the bottome, they féede in the night, and they of all other fishes, slote not aboue water when that they are dead. In the Lake of Verone they are taken by thou∣sandes. Some kinde of fishes rendreth their yong ones aliue, others that flye by the Sea, as the Sea swallowe.

Some make egges and couer or sit on them, as doe the foules in the ayre, so doeth the Sea kite, a foule called Lu∣cerna, of the propertie of his name, séeketh y^e maine Seas, whose tongue shineth or glistereth, as may well be séene in a faire and calme night.

The Dragon of the Sea, as soone as she is taken and brought to land, she maketh incōtinently an entery or hole in the sande, that shée might be lost. Some fishes haue no blood, and haue their heads in their bellies betwéene their féete, & with their feete they cast meate into their mouths.

The Sea Locusts hide them selues for the space of fiue monethes, and swimme in the spring time, they battaile betwéene themselues with their hornes.

If they be put aliue into hote water for to séeth, they will be tender.

The Sea Creuices liue in Rockes and stony places, & there are very great ones.

In Sommer and in the Spring they fatten, and in the full Moone, and they augment & diminish with the Moone, they are of a long life, & they haue all eight féete. The Fe∣males haue the first foote folded or double, and the Males single, and they créepe as much backward as forward.

Cockles haue two little hornes wherewith they féele the way, for they haue no eyes.

The fishes ioyne Male and Female, ioyning their bel∣lies, then the female rūneth or swimmeth away, touching with her mussell the belly of the Male, and the Males eate the Females Egges, for if all the Egges should profite, the Sea, Riuers, and Pondes, would be filled with fish, there would be such an innumerable multitude.

The Sea Mouse maketh her Egges on the lande, and couereth them with earth, and thirtie dayes after doeth vncouer them, and bringeth her yong ones into the Sea.

Some fish liue thrée score yéere, as by the experience of markes put on them. Some fishes there are that liue on the lande, when that in Sommer, the Riuers and poudes are dried vp, and some will goe feede in the corne, and on the lande, tarying for the water, and such is the nature of some, to liue on the earth with wormes.

There are certaine fishes with sharpe prickles on their backes, that will cut the line of fishers Nettes.

Other fishes that are called Sea starres, doe burne o∣ther fishes by their great heate.

In the Sea there is warre among the fishes as among the foule in the aire, for one féedeth not with another.