The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

slowly when they carry the right foot of a turtle. 57.The
‘sea urchin’ (echinus) has taken its name from the land
echinus (i.e. “hedgehog”), which is commonly called iricius
(i.e. ericius). The sea urchin’s shell is two-fold, sharp
with spines like chestnuts when they fall from the tree
still covered. Its flesh is soft and like vermilion . . . in
three ways: 21 as a turtle, a mussel (peloris), and a seasnail.
Indeed, the part that we eat, as well as the part that
contains the flesh, are both called ‘mussel.’
58. Frogs(rana) arenamedfromtheir garrulity (cf.
rancare, “roar”) because they fill their native swamps
with noise, and make their voices resound in unruly
croaking. Of these, some are called aquatic frogs, some
swamp frogs, and some toads (rubeta, lit. “briar-patch”)
because they live in thorn bushes – these are larger than
all the rest. Other frogs are called calamitis,because they
live among reeds and bushes (cf. calamus, “reed”); they
are the smallest and greenest of all, and are mute and
without voice. 59. Agredulae are small frogs dwelling in
dry places or in fields (ager), whence they are named.
Some people claim that dogs will not bark if a live frog
is given to them in a lump of food.
60. Sponges (sfungia) arenamedfrom‘tidying’(fingere),
that is, polishing and cleaning. Afranius (fr. 415):
Iapproach you, so that I might tidy your neck with linen,
that is, that I might clean it. Cicero (cf. Defense ofSestius
77): “The blood would be wiped up (effingere)with
sponges,” that is, cleaned up. That the sponge is an animal
is shown by its blood clinging to the rocks. Hence
also, when it is cut, it bleeds. 61. Someofthecreatures
living in water move about, like fish, but others stay fixed,
like oysters, sea urchins, sponges. Of these, some sponges
are said to be male, because their openings are small and
more tightly packed, and others female, because they
have larger, continuous openings. Some are harder –
ones that the Greeks call (also meaning “goat”),
and we can call them hircosa (lit. “goatish”) on account
of their roughness. 62.Thesoftest kind of sponge is called
penicillus because they are good for swellings of the eyes
21 Early manuscripts read nonsensical uris, etc., at the head of
this sentence. The reading should perhaps be, “And the covering of
a shellfish is spoken of in three ways: . . .,” with reference to three
classes of shell shapes.
22 Penicillus can mean “a sponge; a medicament for the eyes; a
swab.” The name, from this sponge’s elongated shape, is a diminutive
of penis, “tail.”
The Etymologies XII.vi.57–vii.2 263
and for cleaning away rheum. 22 Sponges are made white
with special treatment, for during the summer they are
spread out in the sun, and like Punic wax they absorb
whiteness.
63. Pliny (Natural History 32.142) saysthere are 144
names for all the animals living in the waters, divided
into these kinds: whales, snakes common to land and
water, crabs, shellfish, lobsters, mussels, octopuses, sole,
Spanish mackerel (lacertus), squid, and the like. Of these,
many recognize the order of their seasons by a kind
of natural understanding, while some [wander in their
places without change]. 64. Among female fish, some
conceive by means of intercourse with a male, and bear
offspring, while others deposit their eggs formed without
any involvement on the part of the male, who, after
the eggs have been deposited, floods them with the casting
of his seed. The eggs that have been touched by this
service become fertile, but those that have not remain
sterile and decay.
vii. Birds (De avibus) 1.Thereisasingle word for birds,
but various kinds, for just as they differ among themselves
in appearance, so do they differ also in the diversity
of their natures. Some are simple, like the dove, and
others clever, like the partridge; some allow themselves
to be handled, like the falcon, while others are fearful,
like the garamas; some enjoy the company of humans,
like the swallow, while others prefer a secluded life in
deserted places, like the turtledove; some feed only on
the seeds they find, like the goose, while others eat meat
and are eager for prey, like the kite; some are indigenous
and always stay in the same location, like [the sparrow],
while others are migratory and return at certain seasons,
like the stork and the swallow; some are gregarious, that
is, they fly in a flock, like the starling and the quail, while
others are loners, that is, they are solitary, on account
of the strategies of hunting, like the eagle, the hawk,
and others of this type. Some make a racket with their
calls, like the swallow. Some produce the sweetest songs,
like the swan and the blackbird, while others imitate the
speech and voices of humans, like the parrot and the
magpie. 2.Butthere are innumerable others differing in
kind and behavior, for no one can discover how many
kinds of birds there are. Indeed, no one could penetrate
all the wildernesses of India and Ethiopia and Scythia,
so as to know the kinds of birds and their differentiating
characteristics.