234

Πρωτεσίλαος (fr. 42)

to have been more than a rarity in central Greece and Attica; cf. Dunbar 1995
on Ar. Av. 769, 771-2; Thompson 1936. 178-86. Despite Athenaeus’ claim at
9.393c-d (ούκ άπελείποντο δε ήμών τού συμποσίου πολλάκις ουδέ κύκνοι),
swans are very rarely mentioned as food (elsewhere only at Plu. Mor. 997a,
where Wyttenbach emended κύκνων [mss.] to χηνών); this is probably due
more to unfamiliarity with swans (cf. Arnott [cited above]), which were found
mainly in northern Greece and farther north, than any scruple, religious or
otherwise. For the prosody, cf. above on κίχλαι.
66 πελεκάν Probably the term for various species of pelican and appar-
ently equivalent to πελεκάς and πελεκϊνος; cf. Dunbar 1995 on Ar. Av. 882,883;
Thompson 1936. 231-3 s. v. πελεκάν, 233 s. v. πελεκάς, where probably wrongly
identified as a woodpecker (cf. Dunbar 1995), 234 s. v. πελεκϊνος. The word oc-
curs elsewhere prior to the Roman period at e. g. Arist. HA 597b29-30, 614b27.
Pelicans are now mainly confined to northern Greece and farther north but
in antiquity may have been more common farther south. They seemingly are
referred to nowhere else as food.
κίγκλοι The general term for species of wagtails; cf. Thompson 1936.
140-1. The birds are most frequently noted for their characteristic movement
(e. g. Ar. frr. 29; 147; Autocr. fr. 1.10) or for the proverb πτωχότερος κίγκλου
(e. g. Men. fr. 168 with K.-A. ad loc.\ which arises from the supposition that
they have no nests of their own but use those belonging to other birds.
Wagtails are mentioned as food nowhere else.
γέρανος Cranes are well attested throughout Greek literature from early
epic (e. g. Η. II. 3.3-5; Hes. Op. 448-9) on, although they are known mainly
from their migration south through Greece in the fall and their return north
in the spring; cf. Dunbar 1995 on Ar. Av. 710; Thompson 1936. 68-75. They are
not referred to as food elsewhere before the Roman period (e. g. Plu. Mor. 997a;
Hor. Serm. 2.8.87; Plin. NH 10.60), but cf. the play on γ’ έρανος and γέρανος
at Epich. fr. 76 (cf. Crusius 1910. 59-60 [= Latte 1961 V.59-60]; Orth 2009. 253
[on Stratt. fr. 63]). Cranes are normally referred to as feminine (e. g. Hes. Op.
448-9; Ar. Av. 1137; Arist. HA 614bl8; Call. fr. 1.14); cf. 67.
66-9 A second speaker interrupts the description of the feast. Since this
interruption is insulting and has little relation to the description, and the first
speaker resumes his account in 70 with no acknowledgement of the interrup-
tion, the lines seem to be a so-called ‘bomolochic’ aside,106 aptly characterized
by Bain 1977. 102 as ‘exclamations designed to break up long speeches’ (cf.
Alex. fr. 153.14 with Arnott 1996 ad loc.·, Pl. Com. fr. 189.22 with Pirrotta

106

Cf. Bain 1977. 87-94, 102-3; Schaffner 1911, esp. 19-21.