zoology, a name given by Pliny to the Pholas.

Daduchii, in antiquity, priests of Ceres. That goddess having lost her daughter Proserpine, the mythologists began to make search for her at the beginning of the night. In order to do this in the dark, she lighted a torch, and thus set forth on her travels throughout the world: for which reason it is that she is always seen represented with a lighted torch in her hand. On this account, and in commemoration of this pretended exploit, it became a custom for the priests, at the feasts and sacrifices of this goddess, to run about in the temple, with torches after this manner; one of them took a lighted torch from off the altar, and holding it with his hand, ran with it to a certain part of the temple, where he gave it to another, saying to him, Tibi trado: this second ran after the like manner to another part of the temple, and gave it to the third, and so of the rest. From this ceremony the priests became denominated daduchii, ἀδάυχοι, q.d. "torch-bearers;" from ἀδάυξ, "an unctuous religious wood, as pine, fir, &c." whereof the ancients made torches; and ἔχω, "I have, I hold."—The Athenians also gave the name deduchus to the high-priest of Hercules.

Daedala, a mountain and city of Lycia, where Daedalus was buried, according to Pliny.—Also two festivals in Boeotia, so called; one of them observed at Alalcomenos by the Plateans in a large grove, where they exposed in the open air pieces of boiled flesh, and carefully observed whether the crows that came to prey upon them directed their flight. All the trees upon which any of these birds alighted were immediately cut down, and with them statues were made, called Dædala, in honour of Dædalus. The other festival was of a more solemn kind. It was celebrated every 60 years by all the cities of Boeotia, as a compensation for the intermission of the smaller festivals, for that number of years, during the exile of the Platæans. Fourteen of the statues called Dædala were distributed by lot among the Platæans, Lebadeans, Coroneans, Orchomenians, Thebians, Thespians, Tanagraeans, and Chæroneans, because they had effected a reconciliation among the Platæans, and caused them to be recalled from exile about the time that Thebes was restored by Cassander the son of Antipater. During this festival a woman in the habit of a bride-maid accompanied a statue which was dressed in female garments, on the banks of the Eurotes. This procession was attended to the top of mount Cithaeron by many of the Boeotians, who had places assigned them by lot. Here an altar of square pieces of wood cemented together like stones was erected, and upon it were thrown large quantities of combustible materials. Afterwards a bull was sacrificed to Jupiter, and an ox or heifer to Juno, by every one of the cities of Boeotia, and by the most opulent that attended. The poorest citizens offered small cattle; and all these oblations, together with the Dædala, were thrown into the common heap and set on fire, and totally reduced to ashes. They originated in this: When Juno, after a quarrel with Jupiter, had retired to Euboea, and refused to return to his bed, the god, anxious for her return, went to consult Cithaeron king of Platæa, to find some effectual measure to break her obstinacy. Cithaeron advised him to dress a statue in woman's apparel, and carry it in a chariot, and publicly to report it was Platæa the daughter of Alcippe, whom he was going to marry. The advice was followed; and Juno, informed of her husband's future marriage, repaired in haste to meet the chariot, and was easily united to him, when she discovered the artful measures he made use of to effect a reconciliation.

Dædalus, an Athenian, son of Eupalamus, descended from Erechtheus king of Athens. He was the most ingenious artist of his age; and to him we are indebted for the invention of the wedge, and many other mechanical instruments, and the sails of ships. He made statues which moved of themselves, and seemed to be endowed with life. Talus his father's son promised to be as great as himself by the ingenuity of his inventions; and therefore from envy he threw him down from a window and killed him. After the murder of this youth, Dædalus, with his son Icarus, fled from Athens to Crete, where Minos' king of the country gave him a cordial reception. Dædalus made a famous labyrinth for Minos, and assisted Pasiphaë the queen, to gratify her unnatural passion for a bull. For this action Dædalus incurred the displeasure of Minos, who ordered him to be confined in the labyrinth which he had constructed. Here he made himself wings with feathers and wax, and carefully fitted them to his body and that of his son, who was the companion of his confinement. They took their flight in the air from Crete; but the heat of the sun melted the wax on the wings of Icarus, whose flight was too high, and he fell into that part of the ocean which from him has been called the Icarian Sea. The father by a proper management of his wings alighted at Cumae, where he built a temple to Apollo, and thence directed his course to Sicily, where he was kindly received by Cocalus, who reigned over part of the country. He left many monuments of his ingenuity in Sicily, which still existed in the age of Diodorus Siculus. He was dispatched by Cocalus, who was afraid of the power of Minos, who had declared war against him because he had given an asylum to Dædalus. The flight of Dædalus from Crete with wings is explained by observing that he was the inventor of sails, which in his age might pass at a distance for wings. He lived 1400 years before the Christian era. There were two statuaries of the same name; one of Sicyon, son of Patroclus; the other a native of Bithynia.