1. Among marine animals there are many instances reported of the mild,
gentle disposition of the dolphin, and of its love of its children,
and its affection, in the neighbourhood of Tarentum, Caria, and other
places. It is said that when a dolphin was captured and wounded on the
coast of Caria, so great a number came up to the harbour, that the
fishermen let him go, when they all went away together. And one large
dolphin, it is said, always follows the young ones, to take care of
them; and sometimes a herd of large and small dolphins has been seen
together, and two of these having left appeared soon after, supporting
and carrying on their back a small dead dolphin, that was ready to
sink, as if in pity for it, that it might not be devoured by any other
wild creature.
2. Some incredible things are also told of their swiftness, for
it appears to be the swiftest of all animals, whether marine or
terrestrial. They will leap over the sails of large ships. This is
especially the case when they pursue a fish for the sake of food; for
their hunger will make them pursue their prey into the depths of the
sea, if it retreats to the bottom. And when they have to return from
a great depth, they hold their breath, as if they were reckoning the
distance, and then they gather themselves up, and dart forward like an
arrow, desirous of shortening their distance from a breathing-place.
And if they meet with a ship they will throw themselves over its sails.
Divers also do the same thing when they have sunk themselves into deep
water, for they also gather up their strength in order to rise to the
surface. The males and females live in pairs with each other. There is
some doubt as to the reason why they cast themselves on the land, for
they say that sometimes they appear to do this without any cause.