Note 225 — ARRIAN ON COURSING.
William Dansey translation
Although the rule has its exceptions, (see Brodæus in Oppianum, p. 42.) Aristotle’s observation, that animals in general ὁρμᾶ πρὸς τὸν συνδυασμὸν in the vernal season, will be found correct.
Virgil. Georg. iii. 272.
Vere magis, quià vere calor redit ossibus.
Oppian. Halieut. L. i. vs. 473.
εἴαρι δὲ γλυκὺς οἶστρος ἀναγκαίης Ἀφροδίτης καὶ γάμοι ἡβώωσι, καὶ ἀλλήλων φιλότητες πᾶσιν ὅσοι γαῖάν τε φερέσβιον, αἵ τ’ ἀνὰ κόλπους ἠέρος, οἵ τ’ ἀνὰ πόντον ἐριβρύχην δονέονται.
All the Cynegetica agree with Arrian as to the spring being the most fit season for breeding and rearing puppies.De Venatione. c. vii. Ἡ γὰρ ὥρα πρὸς τὰς αὐξήσεις τῶν κυνῶν κρατίστη αὕτη, says Xenophon; and the same opinion is repeated by the copyists of later date, with little addition. Indeed, the reasons alleged in the text are the best that can be adduced for preferring the spring to any other season:
Oppian. Cyneg. L. i. v. 375.
εἰ δὲ νύ τοι κεράσαι φίλον ἔπλετο δῖα γένεθλα, εἴαρι μὲν πρώτιστα λέχος πόρσυνε κύνεσσιν.
The Cynosophium specifies January and February as the best breeding months. “La droite saison,” says Fouilloux,La Vénerie. p. 9. “en laquelle doivent naistre est en Mars, Avril, et May, que le temps est tempéré, et que les chaleurs ne sont trop véhémentes.” He gives the same reasons as our author for avoiding summer and autumn, and is, of course, followed verbatim by Turberville. Markham wouldCountrey Contentments. B. i. p. 26. “put them together to ingender and breed, eyther in January, February, or March, according as they shall grow proud; for those are the three most principall monthes in the yeare for hound, bitches, or bratches, to be limed in: not but that they may conceive and bring forth as good whelps in other monthes; but because there will be much losse of time in the entering of them.” He farther enjoins that “the moone be eyther in the signe Aquarius or Gemini; for it is held amongst the best huntsmen of this land, that the whelpes that are ingendred under those two signes, wil never runne mad, and for the most part the litter will have at least double so many dogge whelpes as bitch whelpes.”