Tanagrici plerunque Rhodiis et Medicis amplitudine pares, non multum moribus a [381] vernaculis distant, sicut et Chalcidici, Columella[1]: cum paulo ante dixisset Rhodii generis aut Medici propter gravitatem neque gallos nimis salaces, nec foecundas esse gallinas. Et rursus[2], Deliaci (scriptores[3]) quoniam procera corpora et animos ad praelia pertinace{i}s requirebant, praecipue Tanagricum genus et Rhodium probabant, nec minus Chalcidicum et Medicum, quod ab imperito vulgo litera mutata Melicum appellatur. Ex gallinaceis quidam ad bella tantum et praelia assidua nascuntur, quibus etiam patrias nobilitarunt Rhodum {ac} <aut> Tanagram. Secundus est honos habitus Melicis et Chalcidicis, ut plane dignae aliti tantum honoris {praebeat} <perhibeat> Romana purpura, Plinius[4].

Those of Tanagra mostly match in size those of Rhodes and Media, and for behavior they are not very different from ours, as those of Chalcis, Columella: while a little before he said that of the breed of Rhodes or Media because of weight neither the roosters are excessively lustful nor hens are prolific. And again: Those of Delos (writers breeders) since were looking for bodies of tall height and stubborn spirits in fights, they appreciated above all the breeds of Tanagra and Rhodes, as well as those of Chalcis and Media, the latter by incompetent people, mixing up a letter, is said Melica – instead of Medica. Among chickens some are born only for continuous struggles and fights, thanks to which also made famous their country, Rhodes or Tanagra. The second place has been given to those of Media and Chalcis, so that Roman purpled men hold in so great honor a quite deserving bird, Pliny.

Κολοίφρυξ (Varinus habet κολοίβρυξ per β.) gallus Tanagraeus, et mons Boeotiae, Hesych.[5] Κολοκτρύων[6], ἀπὸ τοῦ κολονοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος μεγάλου γέγονεν, Iidem. Κολεκτρυὼν, γένος τι Περσικόν {ἀττιλέβοις} <ἀττελέβοις> ὅμοιόν ἐστι, Suidas. Sed videntur in hisce Graecis quaedam corrupta. Ταναγραῖοι ἀλεκτορίσκοι id est Tanagraei gallinacei, pugnaces et animosi (θυμικοί) sunt instar hominum, Suidas: qui et haec Babrii verba citat, Ἀλεκτορίδων ἤν μάχη Ταναγραίων, οἷς φασιν εἶναι θυμὸν ὥσπερ ἀνθρόποις. et hoc proverbium, Ἀλεκτρυόνα καὶ ἀθλητὴν ταναγραῖον. celebrantur autem (inquit) tanquam generosi. Vide infra inter proverbia. Χαλκιδικός, genus gallinacei, Hesychius et Varinus. Rhodiae aves foetus suos non commode nutriunt, Columella[7].

Koloíphryx (Guarino has koloíbryx with β) is a rooster of Tanagra and a mountain of Boeotia, Hesychius. Koloktrýøn, apò toû kolonoû alektryónos megálou ghégonen, - Koloktrýøn has taken origin from the greatness of the kolonoû of the rooster, the same authors. Kolektryøn, ghénos ti Persikón attelébois hómoión esti, - Kolektryøn is a Persian genus similar to the locusts, lexicon Suidas. But it seems that some of these Greek terms are corrupted. Tanagraîoi alektorískoi, that is, the roosters of Tanagra, are pugnacious and brave (thymikoí) as human beings, lexicon Suidas: which also quotes these words of Babrios: Alektorídøn ën máchë Tanagraíøn, hoîs phasin eînai thymòn høsper anthrópois. - Lo the fight of the roosters of Tanagra, and they say that they are brave as the men are. And quotes this proverb: Alektryóna kaì athlëtën tanagraîon - The rooster and the athlete of Tanagra. In fact - says - they are praised as of good race. See more ahead within the proverbs - page 410. Chalkidikós, is a breed of roosters, Hesychius and Guarino. The hens of Rhodes don't fairly take care of their chicks, Columella.

Antiqui ut Thetin Thelin dicebant, sic Medicam Melicam vocabant. Hae primo dicebantur, quia ex Media propter magnitudinem erant allatae, quaeque ex his generatae<,> postea propter similitudinem <amplae omnes>, Varro[8] et Festus. Turnerus Gallum Medicum interpretatur Anglice a bauncok, vel a cok of kynde. Medicae, generi villatico adscribuntur, propter magnitudinem in Italiam translatae. cuiusmodi Patavinae modo sunt, Pulverariae cognominatae a vico, ubi grandissimae ac spectabiles maxime nascuntur: quas Turcarum rex, is qui Constantinopolim aetate nostra coepit vi, muneris magni loco a senatu missas habuit, Hermolaus[9]. Patavinae saginatae libras sedecim pondere exuperant, Grapaldus. Quidam Germanice circumscribentes interpretantur, groß Welsch hennen, id est grandes Italicas gallinas. Nos tales habemus gallinaceos, altis cruribus, absque cauda. Grande genus gallinaceorum, quod pedibus ad pectus usque sublatis incedit, plumis ex auro fulvis, patrum memoria in Germaniam ex proximis provinciis advectum est. Videntur autem Medici. quanquam non Media modo, verum Boeotiae civitas Tanagra et Rhodus Chalcisque insulae insignes corpore suffecerunt. unde istos vel Medicos vel Tanagricos vel Rhodios vel Chalcidicos appellare licebit. Vulgus Longobardicos nuncupat. pauci a villicis educantur quod parum foecundi sint, Gyb. Longolius. Gallinaceos (ἀλεκτρυόνας, pro toto genere) aiunt in Perside primum natos, atque inde alio deportatos esse, Menodotus Samius apud Athenaeum[10]. Aves Persicas vocabant aves Ecbatanis (advectas) propter raritatem, Scholiastes Aristophanis in Aves. dubitat autem an avis ulla proprie Μῆδος dicatur. nam poeta illic[11] avem quandam (cristatam) peregrinam Μῆδον nominârat. Et rursus in eadem fabula[12], sub Epopis persona, Ὄρνις ἀφ’ἡμῶν τοῦ γένους τοῦ Περσικοῦ, | Ὅσπερ λέγεται δεινότατον εἶναι πανταχοῦ | Ἄρεως νεοττὸς, de gallinaceo ut plerique interpretantur. Varinus etiam avem Persicam gallum exponit: Suidas avem Medicam, pavonem. Quin et gallum aliquando Persis imperasse Comicus[13] fabulatur. Sunt autem Medi Persis finitimi, ut eadem avis ab utrisque denominata sit.

Ancients, as pronounced Thetis as Thelis - Thetis, in the same way they called Melica the hen of Media. These hens were formerly so called since because of their size were imported from Media, as well as those by them procreated; then for analogy all the corpulent ones, Varro and Festus. William Turner translates the rooster of the Media into English with a bauncok, or a cok of kynde. The hens of Media are counted as courtyard breeds, taken in Italy because of their heavy build. Of this kind are only those of Padua, called of Polverara from a village where they become of huge size and of very beautiful look: the Turks' king, that who in our times conquered Constantinople with force - Mohammed II, received them as rich tribute sent him by the senate - Venetian, Ermolao Barbaro. Paduan hens fattened up overcome in weight 16 pounds - around 6 kgs and a half, Francesco Mario Grapaldi. Some defining them in German translate them with groß Welsch hennen, that is big Italian hens. We possess such chickens with long legs and without tail. A great breed of chickens, which walks with the feet lifted up to the breast, with yellow gold feathers, that, according to the memory of the ancestors, has been brought in Germany from near provinces. Indeed they look like chickens of Media, even if not only the Media, but also the city of Tanagra in Boeotia and the islands of Rhodes and Chalcis supplied specimens of outstanding size, that's why it will be allowed to call these subjects or of Media, or of Tanagra, or of Rhodes, or of Chalcis. The common people calls them Lombard. By farmers they are bred in small number since they would be not much fertile, Gisbert Longolius. They say that chickens (alektryónas, meaning the whole genus) had origin in Persis and that hence they have been brought elsewhere, Menodotus of Samos in Athenaeus. They called Persian birds the birds imported from Ecbatana because of their uncommonness, the scholiastes of Aristophanes in the commentary of Birds. Really he doubts that some bird is correctly called Median. In fact the poet in this work would have called Median an exotic bird (tufted). And again, as many people are thinking, in the same comedy he is referring himself to the rooster in the role of the character of the Hoopoe, Órnis aph’hëmøn toû ghénous toû Persikoû,|Hósper léghetai deinótaton eînai pantachoû Áreøs neottós, - A bird among you of Persian genus, that which anywhere is said to be the most terrible birdie of Ares. Also Guarino translates Persian bird as rooster: the lexicon Suidas as bird of Media, peacock. The comic poet tells fabulous tales that once also a rooster reigned on Persians. Indeed Medians border Persians, so that the same bird would have been named from both people.

Circa Tarnasari urbem Indiae gallos gallinasque proceriores vidisse memini quam usquam alibi, Ludovicus Patritius.[14] ¶ In Alexandria quae ad Aegyptum spectat, gallinae quaedam habentur monosirae, (ex quibus pugnaces oriuntur galli,) bis ac ter anno incubantes, post absolutionem scilicet pullis ipsis subtractis, seorsumque enutritis, Florentinus. ¶ Arabiae pars austrum versus contra Aethiopiam assurgens[15], avium omnium copia abundat praeter anseres ac gallinas, Strabo[16].

I remember to have seen in neighborhood of a city of the region of Tarnasari in India roosters and hens greater than anywhere, Lodovico de Varthema. ¶ In Alexandria, that belonging to Egypt, there are certain monosir hens (from which are hatching some fighting roosters), and the former are brooding two and three times per year, after they have been freed, that is, after the chicks have been taken away from them, being the chicks bred separately, Florentinus. ¶ The part of Arabia facing the wind Austro - facing south - and raising opposite to Ethiopia, has in abundance birds of every kind except geese and hens, Strabo.

Gallinaceo generi soli fidipedum[17] altilium colores diversi, nam et aliae huius generis alites aliis coloribus visuntur, et in singulis vel color unus per omne corpus, vel varii. A gallo candido abstineas. vide inter proverbia in h. ¶ Gallinacei habent ossium consistentiam laxam, cavam et levem, Galenus undecimo de usu partium.[18] ¶ Quaecunque aves pennas duras habent, fortes sunt, ut coturnices, galli, Aristot. in Physiognom.[19]

Only the gallinaceous genus among birds to be fatten up with cloven foot has different colors, in fact birds of this species can also be seen with different colors and, in single subjects, or only a color on the whole body or different colors. Keep far-away from a white rooster. See among the proverbs in the paragraph H. ¶ Chickens have a fragile bones' structure, hollow and light, Galen in the book XI of De usu partium corporis humani. ¶ All the birds endowed with hard feathers are strong, as quails, roosters, Aristotle in Physiognomonica.

In rationis expertibus mari praerogativum honorem atque praestantiam quandam natura largita est. serpens cristatus est: gallus item formae excellentia illustratur, Aelian.[20] Gallus est avis faucibus et capite cristata, Obscurus de nat. rerum. Solus inter aves peculiarem sibi cristam sortitus est, sic institutam ut ne caro sit, nec a natura carnis omnino aliena, Aristot.[21] Spectatissimum insigne gallinaceis, corporeum, serratum: nec carnem {id} <ita> esse, nec cartilaginem, nec callum iure dixerimus, verum peculiare, Plinius[22]. Gallinae {plicabilis} <plicatilis>[23] crista per medium caput, gallinaceo erecta, Perottus. Magi in febrium medicina utuntur gallinaceorum cristis, auribus, unguibus, <si luna> et radiis (alias rasis) barbis eorum, ut Plinius prodidit[24]. Gallinaceus cristam habet rubram: carnem quae rostrum cingit undique, mentum quidam vocant, Columella etiam genam[25]. Membranosa cutis quae sub mento et collo dependet utrinque paleae (tanquam palearia, Beroaldus in Columellam) dicuntur. at plumae longiores quae collum et cervicem undique cingunt, quasque pugnaturi et irati etiam explicant, iubas Columellam[26] nuncupasse video. Sub his prominet ceu aqualiculus, omnibus tamen avibus communis: id primum ciborum receptaculum est, quod a Graecis stómachos dicitur, Gybertus Longolius. Pavo Indicus neque genis praeditus est, Idem. Mentum vocant quae gallinarum rostris adiacet carnem, Caelius. Grammatici quidam paleam exponunt cartilaginem defluam a collo galli gallinacei. Paleae ex rutilo albicantes, quae velut incanae barbae dependent, Columella de gallinaceo[27].

Among the animals devoid of intelligence the nature bestowed on the male a preferential honor and a certain superiority. The snake is endowed with a tuft: likewise the rooster is adorned by the excellence of the look, Aelian. The rooster is a bird with the mouth and the head endowed with a comb, an unknown author who wrote of natural things. He only among birds has been blessed with a comb which is peculiar to him, so made up that it is neither flesh, nor entirely extraneous to the structure of the flesh, Aristotle. Nature has given the most notable ornament to roosters, fleshy, indented; and we can't rightly say that it is flesh or cartilage or a callosity, but something peculiar, Pliny. The hen has a flexible comb at the center of the head, the rooster has it upright, Nicolò Perotto. The quacks in antipyretic therapy use the combs of the roosters, earlobes, toenails, if there is the moon also spurs and wattles (or, cut wattles), as Pliny handed down. The rooster has a red comb: some calls chin the flesh surrounding the whole beak, Columella calls it also cheek. That membranaceous skin, which from both sides hangs under the chin and the neck, is named wattles (as if they were dewlaps, Filippo Beroaldo the Elder in the commentary of Columella): but the longest feathers surrounding neck and nape, and which they lift up when about to fight and also when angered, I realize that Columella called them iubae - manes. Under these hackle's feathers is sticking out like a small container, which nevertheless is usual in all birds: this is the first receptacle of foods, called stómachos by Greeks, Gisbert Longolius. The Indian peacock - Pavo cristatus - is not even endowed with cheeks, still Longolius. They call chin that flesh adjacent to the beaks of hens, Lodovico Ricchieri. Some grammarians mean as wattle the thick flesh hanging from the neck of the rooster. Red wattles suffused of white, hanging as beards of elderly persons, Columella apropos of the rooster.