The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Natural History of Pliny, Vol III., by Pliny the Elder.

149 He alludes to dog-ticks and ox-ticks, the Acarus ricinus of Linnæus, and the Acarus reduvius of Schrank.

150 In c. 32 he has said the same of the grasshopper; in relation to its drink.

151 A variety of the Cynips of Linnæus, which in vast numbers will sometimes adhere to the ears of dogs.

152 These are really the larvæ of night-moths. His account here is purely imaginary.

153 He speaks of the Cynips psenes of Linnæus, which breeds on the blossom of the fig-tree, and aids in its fecundation. See B. xv. c. 21.

154 He alludes to various coleopterous insects, which are not included among the Cantharides of the modern naturalists. They are first an egg, then a larva, then a nympha, and then the insect fully developed.

155 See B. xxix. c. 30.

156 The redness sometimes observed on the snow of the Alps and the Pyrenees, is supposed by De Lamarck to be produced by animalculæ: other naturalists, however, suppose it to arise from vegetable or mineral causes.

157 Cuvier thinks that he alludes to a variety of the ephemera or the phryganea of Linnæus, the case-wing flies, many of which are particularly short-lived. These are by no means peculiar to the river Bog or Hypanis.

158 “Living for a day.”

159 They only appear to be so, from the peculiar streaks on the eyes. Linnæus has hence called one variety, the Tabanus cæcutiens.

160 Or with pounded chalk or whitening. Ælian adds, “if they are placed in the sun,” which appears necessary for the full success of the experiment. Life appears to be suspended in such cases for a period of surprising length.

161 Probably the golden pheasant, as already mentioned.

162 Some kind of heron or crane, Cuvier thinks.

163 The Alauda cristata of Linnæus, so called from “galera,” a pointed cap like a helmet.

164 The fifth legion.

165 The hoopoe, B. x. c. 44.

166 Savigny and Cuvier take this to be the Ardea virgo of Linnæus, a native of Numidia.

167 The suddenness of their appearance, no doubt, was fabulous; but we have well-authenticated cases in recent times of substances growing on the human head, to all appearance resembling horns, and arising from a disordered secretion of the hair. Witness the case of Mary Davies, a so-called horn from whose head is preserved in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. The story of Genucius Cippus, the Roman prætor, is told by Ovid, Met. B. xv. l. 565, et seq.

168 A spitter, or second year stag, according to Cuvier.

169 “Broad-horned.” The Cervus dama of Linnæus.

170 “Dama.” The Antelope redunca of Linnæus, Cuvier thinks.

171 No doubt a kind of antelope.

172 “Lyras” seems preferable to “liras.”

173 There are several varieties of oxen, in which the horns adhere to the skin, and not to the cranium.

174 B. viii. cc. 29-31.

175 The Coluber cerastes of Linnæus. See B. viii. c. 35.

176 The drinking-horns of our Saxon ancestors are well known to the antiquarian.

177 The “urna” was half an “amphora,” or nearly three gallons.

178 See B. xxxv. c. 41.

179 The rhinoceros. See B. viii. c. 39.

180 He surely must except the Phrygian oxen with the moveable horns, which he has previously mentioned.

181 Or “long-haired.” See B. iii. c. 7.

182 See B. iv. c. 31.

183 See B. iv. c. 22.

184 See B. v. c. 29.

185 Φαλακροκόραξ. See B. x. c. 68.

186 He borrows this from Aristotle.

187 B. viii. c. 54, and B. x. c. 58. The skull of the bear is not thinner or weaker than that of other animals of its own size; but the skull of the parrot, in proportion to those of other birds, is remarkably hard.

188 See B. vii. c. 1.

189 Cuvier says that these are the larvæ of the œstrus, which are deposited on the lips of quadrupeds, and so make their way to various cavities.

191 Or razor-sheath. See B. x. c. 88.

192 Aristotle was of this opinion, but Galen maintained that the mole can see. Its eye is extremely small, and hard on the surface.

193 Or “white” heron. As Cuvier remarks, this is probably a mere augur’s fable.

194 It is almost needless to remark, that both snails, as well as locusts and grasshoppers, have eyes.

198 The same has been said also of Cardan, the elder Scaliger, Theodore Beza, the French physician Mairan, and the republican Camille Desmoulins.

200 Hardouin with justice doubts the soundness of this alleged reason.

201 He alludes, probably, to some method of curing cataract; perhaps somewhat similar to that mentioned by him in B. xx. c. 20.

202 This was done by the nearest relatives. This usage still prevails in this country, the eyelids being pressed down with pieces of gold or silver.

203 Or “squint-eyed.”

204 Or “cock-eyed.”

207 See B. xxv. c. 50.

208 Or crustaceous covering.

209 Kohl is still used in the east for the same purpose.

210 Aristotle says so, Hist. Anim. B. iii. c. 10.

211 “The eyebrows.”

212 This is not the fact.

213 With their nails when mourning for the dead.

214 Hence the word “nasutus,” a sneering, captious, or sarcastic man.

215 “Flat-nosed,” and “snub-nosed.”

216 A Roman family—the reading of this word seems doubtful.

217 In reality, the under one only.

218 He is incorrect in speaking of dogs as having serrated teeth.

219 In the dugong also, babiroussa, muntjac, and others.

220 The morse and the dugong are instances to the contrary.

221 The females of the elephant, morse, dugong, chevrotin, and muntjac have them, and they are equally as useful as with the male, only, perhaps, not so strong.

222 This is incorrect, unless he merely means ranged in one continuous line; and even then he is in error.

223 See B. ix. c. 29. This is called the parrot-fish, from the resemblance of its upper and lower jaws to the beak of a parrot.

224 They present this appearance from being worn away at the surface.

225 Rondelet would read “gula,” the throat. This, though repudiated by Hardouin, is approved of by Cuvier, who justly looks upon the ordinary reading as an absurdity. Many fish, he says, and more especially the osseous ones, have teeth in the pharynx.

226 There is always one fang, at least, ready to supply the place of the one in front, if lost by any accident.

227 Like the jugglers of the East at the present day. But it is very doubtful whether the poison fang is in all instances previously extracted from the serpents which they handle.

228 But the camel, as well as the lama, has an incisive bone, provided with an incisive tooth on each side, and has canine and molar teeth as well.

229 If by this term he means teeth separated from each other, the assertion is incorrect, as in these animals we find the molars separated from the lower incisives by a very considerable space.

230 Cuvier says, as far as the sea-urchin is concerned, very simply, and merely by looking at it, as its five teeth are very apparent.

231 The incisors are in number, and very nearly in appearance, like those of man. The canines are different in shape, though similar in number. What he says about the elephant, is peculiar to that of India.

232 See B. ix. c. 88.

233 Very few other animals are born with teeth, in their natural state. Apes, dogs, and cats are not born with teeth.

234 From the fourth to the eighth month in reality, during which the four central incisors appear.

235 The only ones that do not change are those which have three molars on each side of the jaw.

236 This is erroneous: they change the incisors and molars as well.

237 See B. xxviii. c. 78.

238 By us known as the “wisdom” teeth.

239 This is not the fact: they have usually the same number, but there are exceptions on both sides. The same is also the case with sheep, goats, and swine.

240 This is not very uncommon.

241 Not at all an uncommon occurrence.

242 Of the second set.

243 It is only in the horse and the ass that these indications can be relied upon.

245 This has no such effect.

246 The contrary is the case: it will be more prolific.

247 Swine change them just the same as other animals.

248 By certain appearances in the incisors, the age of a horse up to its twenty-fourth year, or even beyond, may be judged of: the other signs cannot be so positively relied upon.

250 “Sævissima dentibus,” seems to be a preferable reading to “sævissime dentiunt.”

251 Only two-forked in reality.

252 It is not covered with hair.

253 It is not bifurcate.

254 These are horny, conical papillæ, the summits of which point backwards.

255 See B. ix. c. 60.

257 One of the titles of the goddess Fortuna.

258 “Uva,” or “grape.”

259 More generally “epiglottis.” It is found in some few reptiles. This passage is omitted by Sillig.

260 Gullet, or pharynx.

262 All these animals, on the contrary, have seven vertebræ.

263 This is not the fact. The spinal marrow, even, may be wounded, without death being the immediate result.

264 Snow-water, we know, is apt to produce goitre.

265 “Stomachus.” More properly, the œsophagus, or ventricle.

267 Or turtle. It has a tongue, and though it has no teeth, the jaws are edged with a horny substance like the bills of birds.

268 “Crenis” is read for “renis:” otherwise the passage is unintelligible: it is still most probably in a corrupt state.

269 Among all the mammiferæ and the birds, the heart has four cavities, two on each side.

271 This is a mistake. The heart is subject to disease, equally with other parts of the body.

272 In spite of what Schenkius says in confirmation of Pliny, this is very doubtful. Of course it must increase from childhood, but the increase surely does not continue till the fiftieth year.

273 See an account of him in the Messeniaca of Pausanias.

274 In this part of the story may have originated that of the escape of Sindbad the Sailor, when buried in the vault with the body of his wife.—See the “Arabian Nights.”

275 “Rex Sacrorum.” This was a priest elected from the patricians, on whom the priestly duties devolved, which had been originally performed by the kings of Rome. He ranked above the Pontifex Maximus, but was possessed of little or no political influence.

276 No doubt there was trickery in this.

277 By supernatural agency.

278 This was P. Vitellius, who served under Germanicus in Germany. He was one of the accusers of Cn. Piso, who was charged with having poisoned Germanicus.

279 The cardiac disease, as alleged.

281 But see B. viii. c. 51, and B. xxviii. c. 29.

282 Plutarch says that it was the “caput,” or “head” of the liver that was wanting. M. Marcellus was slain while reconnoitring the Carthaginian camp by night.

285 By his niece and wife, Agrippina, the mother of Nero.

286 See B. iv. c. 11. Tharne does not seem to be known. Of course, this story about the hares is fabulous.

287 There must be some corrupt reading here; for, as Sillig remarks, who ever heard of a siege which lasted a hundred years?

288 Or diaphragm; from “præ,” “before,” and “cor,” the “heart.”

289 With Sardonic laughter, as Hardouin remarks.

291 Or front intestines.

292 The coot, probably.

293 He alludes to the papillæ of the mucous gland.

295 “Lupus cervarius.” Probably the lynx.

296 The belly of the elephant presents five transversal folds.

297 See B. xxviii. c. 77. This substance, known by the name of egagropile, consists of the hair which the animal has swallowed when licking itself. It assumes a round form, in consequence of the action of the intestines.

298 Perhaps the godwit, or stone-plover, the Scolopax ægocephala of Linnæus.

299 See also B. xxvi. c. 83.

300 This may be done with safety in dogs or other animals.

301 See B. v. c. 32.

303 This is not the case. Birds have kidneys, but of an irregular form.