Verum illud parum Gallo honoris conciliare videri possit, quod angui sit pavori, qui a leone ferarum generosissimo timebatur, nisi etiam basiliscus ipsum horreret, insigni sane immunitatis privilegio: cuius siquidem locum nulla alioquin ales impune transvolet, infectum nempe semper spiritu pestilenti: quin etiam cuius sibilum caeteri serpentes omnes perhorrescant, tantum abest, ut praesentiam eius tolerare queant. Hunc aiunt, mirabile dictu, cum Gallum videre forte contingit, animo tremere, et cum cucu<r>rientem audit, tanto terrore concuti, ut emoriatur. Quam rem non ignorantes qui per immensas Cyrenensium solitudines, quae pestem illam, et singulare in terris malum gignunt, iter faciunt, Gallum itineris comitem sibi adiungunt, qui cantu suo truculentissimam illam bestiam longe abigat: author est huius historiae Aelianus[1].

But it could seem that what I said is bringing little honor to the rooster, since he represents a fear for the snake, he who was feared by the lion the bravest of wild animals, if also the basilisk wouldn't be terrified by him, undoubtedly because of a singular privilege of immunity: since no bird can however safely fly over the place where it lies, which is just always imbued with its pestilential breath: so much so that all other snakes abhor its hiss to such an extent that they cannot endure its presence. Wondrous to tell, they say that when by chance it happens to see a rooster, it trembles in spirit, and when it hears him crowing is shaken by such a great dread that it dies. Being aware of this fact, those who travel through the immense lonely places of Cyrenaica, which in their territories give birth to that pest and unrivalled monster, they add as traveling companion a rooster so that with his crowing he drives away that very threatening animal: Aelian is the author of this tale.

Iam vero et Gallus suis hostibus cum apertis, tum occultis minime caret. Inter aves in primis non rapacium duntaxat hostilitatem, rapinamque metuit, sed cum Attagene, teste Aeliano[2], graviter etiam dissidet. At maior ab uncunguibus tamquam generis sui praedonibus expavescentia: ideoque cum acutissima acie praeditus est, oculo uno cibum inquirit, altero sursum ad aethera erecto insidiatores observat: quibus a longe conspectis, alta voce exclamitat, Gallinas suas convocans, ut si per temporis angustiam liceat, simul cum eo sese in tutum recipiant: sin illi improvisius adsint, tunc quantum potest, sese illis opponit, ac pro liberandis uxoribus, liberisque ad necem saepe usque cum eisdem dimicat, unde dicebat Politianus[3].

Non illum squamea tuto

{Aggreditur} <Aggredit> serpens non raptor ab aethere Milvus.

Hunc etenim etsi in rapacium genere ignavissimum in primis observat, tanquam non ignoret, quod prae caeteris aliis incautiorem aliquam e suis e media corte per insidias soleat eripere: unde dicebat Aelianus[4]. Quae leones exterret ales et basiliscos metu exanimat, milvos expavescit.

Actually, also the rooster does not lack his own enemies by any means, both manifest and hidden. Among birds not only does he fear at first the hostility and abduction by birds of prey, but according to Aelian he is gravely at odds with the black francolin. But his greater anxiety proceeds from the hook-nailed birds as being marauders of his genus. Thus, since he is endowed with very keen eye, with one eye he searches for the food and with the other turned up towards the sky he watches under miners: when he sees them from afar, shouts at the top of his voice gathering his hens together so that if short time permits they may safely hide together with him. But if rather suddenly they blow in, then as far as possible he plants himself in front of them, and in order to set free the partners and the sons he fights with them often till death, whence Poliziano was saying: No scaly serpent approaches him safely neither marauder kite from sky. For he watches especially upon the latter even though it is the lazier among the genus of birds of prey, as if he knew very well that it usually snatches away unexpectedly from the middle of the barnyard some of his partners more imprudent in comparison with all others: hence Aelian said: That bird who terrifies lions and frightens to death basilisks, he fears kites.

Verum ut hoc mirum videtur, quod Gallus tam timidam volucrem horreat, cum alias si cum eo congrediendum foret, facile superaret; nam Milvus rapturus vel pullum, vel Gallinam e corte visus ante rapinam suam non impune saepe fert. Quinim<m>o ipsa Gallina ubi vel audierit tantum, aut a longe viderit hunc pullorum praedonem, eos {ocyus} <ocius> sub umbra alarum suarum recipiens, et ipsa sese hosti audacter opponit rostro, alis et se, et pullos defendens, tantum abest, ut id Gallus praestare non possit, vel quadruplo Gallina robustior, sed occulta quaedam, de qua agimus antipathia est. Nam tanto odio Milvum hoc avium genus prosequitur, ut si illius caput collo Gallinaceo alligaveris, omnes celerrime arrepta fuga salutem quaerant, im<m>o quod amplius est, et mirum dictu, Gallum non amplius cantaturum aiunt, si cristam sanguine Milvini capitis inunxeris.

To tell the truth, it seems strange that the rooster frightens so fearful a bird, since if in other circumstances it would be necessary to fight against it, the rooster would easily overcome it; for when a kite has been caught in advance about seizing a chick or a hen out of the yard, it does not often achieves its mugging with impunity. But in fact the hen herself when has only heard or seen from afar this plunderer of chicks, gathering them quickly under the protection of her wings boldly clashes with the enemy with beak and wings, defending herself and her chicks, so that it is no wonder that the rooster can do this nevertheless he is four times stronger than the hen, but it is a matter of a certain hidden antipathy, which we are dealing with. For this genus of bird hates the kite so much that, if you tie its head to the neck of a gallinaceous, all of them very quickly seek safety in stampeding, or rather, what is more important and strange to tell, they say that a rooster will no longer sing if you smear his comb with the blood of a kite’s head.

Non mirum itaque, si Accipitrem etiam timeant: qui tanto Gallinis praecipue terrori esse dicitur, ut audita tantummodo, dum incubant, eius voce, ova vitiari credantur[5], sed et huic etiam propter nimium pullorum amorem resistere non verentur, quod hisce versibus Oppianus[6] ostendit.

Quanto Gallina domesticus ales

Nutrit amore suos foetus lasciva tenellos.

Quae si labentem videat pernicibus alis

Accipitrem a tecto, sublata voce gracillans

Arrectis sursum pennis, cervice recurva

Expandit tumidas pullis glocitantibus alas.

Tum pavidus miles pipiens se moenibus altis

Abdit, conglomeratque parens trepida agmina pennis.

Sic profligat aves audaces sedula mater,

Et caros pullos ex alitis ore rapacis

Liberat, implumesque {fonet} <fovet> simulatque relinquunt

Festos et thalamos nitido candore glabrantes.

Then it is no wonder if they also fear the sparrowhawk: this is said to be such a terror, chiefly to hens, that while they are incubating if merely hear his voice the eggs are believed to spoil, but they do not fear to keep their end up against it too, because of the great love for their chicks, as Oppian of Apamea shows by these verses:

With how much love the hen, domestic bird,

joyful rears her tender young ones.

And if she sees descending on nimble wings from the roof

the hawk, cackling in a loud voice

her feathers raised high, her neck curved back

she spreads her swollen wings over the clucking chicks.

Then the fearful soldier chirps and shelters into the depth of walls,

and the fearful mother wraps with her feathers the flock of chicks.

In this way a careful mother defeats daring birds,

and frees her dear chicks from the mouth of the rapacious bird

and warms her featherless sons as soon as they leave

also the festive nests sleek of shining snowy whiteness.

Ornithologus[7] Helvetiis Accipitris genus aut Milvum a Gallinarum praeda ait appellari den hu<e>nerdieb, id est, Gallinarum furem: et Milvum scripsi Belgis a rapiendis {pullos} <pullis> Kuijckendief dici, unde eidem avi, Milvo nempe ea nomina competere suspicarer, nisi teste Turnero Rubetarium Accipitrem, Anglis hen harroer, idest Gallinarum occisorem, appellari cernerem. Palumbarium Accipitrem magnitudine superat, et coloris est [242] cinerei.

The Ornithologist says the Swiss call the genus of the birds of prey or the kite as den huenerdieb from theft of hens, that is, hens thief: and I have written that the kite is called Kuijckendief by Belgians from his chicks stealing, since I would think these names fit the same bird, that is, the kite, except that I see, according to William Turner testimony, that he is called bramble hawk, by English known as hen harroer, that is, hens killer. He is larger than the accipiter palumbarius - hawk of wild pigeons - and he is of an ashen-grey color.