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A word of caution is needed: Plutarch emphatically was no naturalist. The zoological material is a hodge-podge of misinformation dredged up from various zoological sources, seasoned here and there with personal contributions, which are not necessarily correct. In the original sources, terms for specific types of animals were probably used with considerable precision. It is my impression that Plutarch often had only a vague idea of the meaning of such terms. For example, he consistently uses the specific term for a rock dove, but probably had in mind any type of domestic dove. Similarly, dorcas was used in Greece commonly as a term for the roedeer, but in Asia Minor for the common gazelle. In the original sources the word probably denoted specifically one or the other, depending on where the man lived; but Plutarch may well have used the term vaguely for any type of small deer, including gazelles and antelopes. Alfred C. Andrews
Αἴλουρος: wild cat of Egypt (Felis ocreata Gm.) and of Europe (F. silvestris Schreb.) and domestic form (F. domestica Briss.).
Αἴξ: domestic goat, Capra hircus L.
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Ἀλώπηξ: fox, esp. Vulpes vulgaris Flem.
Ἄρκτος: bear, more esp. the European brown bear, Ursus arctos L.
Βοῦς: domestic ox, Bos taurus L.
Γαλέη (γαλῆ): the weasel (Putorius vulgaris Cuv.), and such similar animals as the marten (Martes sp.) and the polecat or foumart (Mustela putorius L.).
Δασύρους: hare (see Λαγωός).
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Δελφίς: dolphin, esp. Delphinus delphis L.
