Ortelius hodie isola de [254] Arbenga dici putat. Gallinaria {sylva} <silva> Straboni[1], et Ciceroni[2] in Campania. {Pompeio} <Pomponio> vero Sabino[3] in Cumano. Sanfelicius dicit hodie la peneta[4] de {patria} <Patria>[5] vocari. Alectoriae quaedam pil{l}ulae alvum purgantes a Nicolao Myrepso[6] describuntur, quas sic dictas apparet, eo quod vi sua purgandi eos, qui sumpserint, a lecto excitent: quo modo Gallum ἀλέκτορα etiam dici antea scripsimus[7].

Abraham Oertel thinks that today - the Gallinara island - must be called isola de Arbenga – island of Albenga. For Strabo and Cicero the Gallinaria wood is in Campania. Or rather, according to Giulio Pomponio Leto it is in the territory of Cumae. Antonio Sanfelice says it is called today la peneta de Patria – the pinewood of Patria Lake. By Nicolaus Myrepsus are described some laxative alectoriae pills and it is clear that they are so named since thanks to their purgative power they drive from bed those who took them: alike why, as I wrote before, the rooster is also called aléktora.

PRAESAGIA.

PRESAGES

Imminentes pluvias ab his avibus potius, quoniam nobiscum degunt, quam ab aliis cognoscimus. Eas autem in primis Gallus praesagit, cum paulo post solis occasum, vel primis noctis horis statim a vespertino crepusculo insolens in raucisonum cucurritum non sine alarum motu indefessus prorumpit. Gallinacei, inquit Aelianus[8], caeteraque domesticae aves alarum percussione concrepantes, et cucu<r>rientes, et sua quadam voce obstrepentes tempestatem nunciant. Rationem eius alias assignavimus, quod scilicet Auster una cum vaporoso aere vocalia instrumenta ut sensim replet, ita multa pituita infarcit: cuius motum sentientes Galli per eum caeli, et corporis statum facile raucescunt. Caeterum ne gravante hac sarcinula vocis, et motus praesidio sese exonerent, ad cantum modo insolito stimulantur. Adde, si videbitur, laryngis per humidum aëris statum dilatationem, quae ut vocem graviorem, ita raucam, et clangosam solet reddere. Hinc Germani, teste Ornithologo[9], Gallum tempestatis ein {wetterhan} <Wetterhan> appellant, quasi cantu suo peculiari quadam facultate ad indicandas <aeris> mutationes praeditus videatur.

We know when rains are about to fall more from these birds than from others, because they live among us. For the rooster is first to foretell them, when tireless he bursts forth unusually a little after sunset or in the first hours of night immediately from twilight onward into a raucous crowing accompanied by a flapping of wings. Aelian says: The roosters and the other domestic fowls announce a foul weather when are making a din by flapping their wings, and crowing, and making noise with some kind of voice. I assigned the reason for this behavior in another passage, that is, the Austral wind as gradually fills up their vocal apparatus with humid air, so fills up them with much catarrh: the roosters perceiving its motion easily grow raucous because of that condition of the weather and of their bodies. Furthermore, in order to not deprive themselves also of motion’s protection because of increasing of this little voice’s trouble, they are unusually stimulated to song. You may add, if you like, the distension of the larynx because of humid air, which usually makes raucous and noisy the voice as well as heavier. Hence Germans, according to the Ornithologist, call the rooster of foul weather ein Wetterhan, as if appearing to be endowed with a peculiar faculty for predicting changes in the weather.

Aëris etiam mutationem, et ventum praenunciant, si noctu, quam solent, citius canant. Item si Gallinae cum pullis suis in principio pluviae domum se recipiant, aut mane exire recusent, pluviarum copiam indicant futuram. Pediculos quaerentes, aut paludes, vel mare alis more Anatis verberantes, teste Theophrasto, easdem pertendunt. Avienus Arati interpres Latinus etiam inter pluviae signa ponit.

Pectora cum curvo purgat Gallinula rostro.

They also announce a change in weather and wind if at night they sing more early than is their custom. Likewise, if hens with their chicks come back home when the rain is beginning to fall or refuse to go out in the morning, they indicate that there will be a heavy rain. According to Theophrastus, when they are looking for lice or when whip with their wings as a duck does with the water of marshes or sea, they are expressing future rains. Rufus Festus Avienus, the Latin translator of Aratus of Soli, is also placing among rain signs

When the little hen cleans her breast with her curved beak.

Si denique ultra solitum sese in arena concutiant, vel segregentur plures earum in uno loco simul, et in pluviae principio quaerant locum opertum, ubi a pluvia protegantur, signum est maximorum imminentium imbrium.

Finally, if they turn over in the sand more than usually, or many of them simultaneously isolate themselves in a single place, and when the rain begins are seeking a covered place where to be protected from rain, this is a signal that very heavy rain is coming.

Contra Gallum tempore pluviae canentem, serenitatem {iustantem} <instantem> polliceri plerique credunt[10]. Gallinae in mutatione pennarum, quando ante hyemem decidunt, si a capite incipiunt deplumari, tempestive serendum, serotine vero si a posterioribus, significant.

On the contrary, when a rooster crows when it’s raining, most people believe that he promises a cloudless sky is coming. Hens during feathers molting when falling out before winter, if they begin to loose feathers from head, one must sow at proper time, but late if they begin from buttocks.

USUS IN SACRIS ETHNICORUM.

USE IN THE SACRED CEREMONIES
OF THE PAGANS

Non parum profecto gloriari debet hoc volucrum genus, quod tam variis diis quondam sacratum fuerit, atque etiamnum apud quosdam divino afficiatur honore, ut postea probabimus. Suidas ex animatis olim sacrificia in usu fuisse testatur, de ove, sue, bove capra, Gallina, et Ansere. Sed Gallinae nomine Gallum etiam intellexisse verisimillimum est. Nam veteres Gallinaceum Gallum Marti in primis, uti etiam antea, ubi[11] de avis huius pugnacitate, et animositate agebamus, ostendimus, consecrarunt. Causam in eiusmodi fabulam reijciunt. Alectryonem illius Dei, quem ceu bellorum, militiaeque praesidem colebant, comitem, ac satellitem fuisse comminiscuntur, eique tam familiarem, ut dum cum Venere adulterium committeret, foribus eum custodiendis adhibuerit. Sed quia somni violentia oppressus obdormiisset, in avem sui nominis fuisse immutatum, quae hactenus veteris negligentiae memor sedulo Solis adventum praenunciat, ut Lucianus[12] copiosius demonstrat. Ausonius[13] ad hoc illudens cecinit{.}<:>

Ter clara instantis Eoi

Signa canit serus deprenso Marte satelles.

This genus of birds should pride itself not a little, since formerly it has been consecrated to so many different gods, and is even now given divine honor among some people, as I shall prove later. The lexicon Suidas testifies that once among living animals it was custom to sacrifice sheep, pig, ox, goat, hen, and goose. But it is very likely that with the name of hen - gallina – the lexicon understood also the rooster - gallus. For the ancients first of all devoted the rooster to Mars, as I also showed previously when I was saying about pugnacity and courage of this bird. They ascribe the reason to the following tale. They imagine that Alectryon was the comrade and bodyguard of that god, whom they worshipped as protector of wars and armed forces, and that he was so much his friend that while he was committing adultery with Venus he was using him for watching the entrance. But since overwhelmed by sleep’s violence he fell asleep, was changed into the bird which has his name, which, still mindful of its earlier negligence, carefully announces the arrival of the sun, as Lucian points out at greater length. Ausonius hinting at this fact sang as follows:

After Mars has been caught, the dumb bodyguard sings thrice the ringing signals of pressing Aurora.