FISH.
119. There is also the synodon and the synagris. They
also are mentioned by Epicharmus, when he says—
Synagrides, and mazi, and the synodons,
With red spots variegated.
And Numenius, in his treatise on Fishing, writes the word with an [Greek: u], [Greek: synodous]; and says—
Then the white synodon, and boax, and triccus.
And in another place he says—
Fish with these baits then, if you wish to eat
The mighty synodon, or diving horsetail.
But Dorion writes the word [Greek: sinodous], with an [Greek: i]; and so does Archestratus, in the following lines:—
But try to catch a well-fed sinodon,
And you will find the best in narrow straits.
All this advice to Cyrus I have given,
And now to you, Cleænus, I impart it.
And Antiphanes says, in his Archistrata,—
But who would eat an eel, or sinodon's head.
120. There is also the saurus, or lizard. Alexis mentions this fish, in his Leuce. It is a cook who is speaking:—
A. Do you know how you ought to dress a lizard?
B. I shall, when you have taught me.
A. First of all
Take off the gills, then wash him, then cut off
The spines all round, and split him open neatly;
Then when you've laid him flat, anoint him well
And thoroughly with assafœtida;
Sprinkle him then with cheese, and salt, and marjoram.
And Ephippus, in his Cydon, gives a list of many other fishes, and among them he mentions the lizard, in the following lines:—
Slices of tunny, and of glanis,
Of shark, and rhinè, and of conger,
Cephalus, perch, and lizard too,
And phycis, brinchus, also mullet,
Sea-cuckoo, phagrus, myllus, sparus,
Lebias, æolias, and sea-swallow,
Thritta, and squid, and cuttle-fish,
Sea-sparrow, and dracænides.
The polypus, the squid, and orphus,
The tench, th' anchovy, and the cestres,
And last of all the needle-fish.
And Innesimachus, in his Horse-breeder, says—
Of fish with teeth serrated, you may eat
The grim torpedo, the sea-frog, the perch,
The lizard, and the trichias, and the phycis,
The brinchus, and the mullet, and sea-cuckoo.
