Chap. 31.] EEMEMES rOE DISEASES OF THE BO'^THLS. 41 



There are two species of this shell-fish, of a degenerate kind : 

 the mitulus,^^ which has a strong flavour, and a saltish taste ; 

 and the myisca,^'^ which differs from the former in the roundness 

 of its shell, is somewhat smaller, and is covered with filaments, 

 the shell being thinner, and the meat of a sweeter flavour. The 

 ashes, also, of the mitulus, like those of the murex, are pos- 

 sessed of certain caustic properties, and are very useful for the 

 removal of leprous spots, freckles, and blemishes of the skin. 

 They are rinsed, too, in the same manner as lead,^'' for the 

 removal of swellings of the eyelids, of indurations of the 

 membranes, and of films upon the eyes, as also of sordid ulcers 

 upon other parts of the body, and of pustules upon the head. 

 The meat of them, also, is employed as an application for bites 

 inflicted by dogs. 



As to.pelorides,^* they act as a gentle laxative upon the 

 bowels, an effect equally produced by castoreum, taken in doses 

 of two drachmae, in hydromel : where, however, a more drastic 

 purgative is required, one drachma of dried garden -en cumber 

 root is added, and two drachmae of aphronitrum.^^ The 

 tethea^^ is good for griping pains in the bowels and for attacks 

 of flatulency : they are generally found adhering to the leaves 

 of marine plants, sucking their nutriment therefrom, and may 

 be rather looked upon as a sort of fungus than as a fish. They 

 are useful, also, for the removal of tenesmus and of diseases of 

 the kidneys. 



There grows also in the sea a kind of absinthium, known by 

 some persons as ''seriphum,"^'^ and found in the vicinity of 

 Taposiris,^^ in Egypt, more particularly. It is of a more 

 slender form than the land absinthium, acts as a purgative 

 upon the bowels, and effectually removes intestinal worms. 

 The saepia, too, is a laxative ; for which purpose these fish are 



^^ Identical witli our mussel, probably. 



62 Holland identifies this -with the cockle, but it is probably a smaller 

 kind of mussel. ^^ gee B. xxxiv. c. 50. 



64 We learn from Chapter 53 of this Book, that one class of the 

 "Chamge," or gaping cockles, was known as " Pelorides." Horace also 

 mentions them. 



65 See B. xxxi. c. 46. 



66 See Note 51 above. SilHg would here read' " tetheum," apparently, 

 in the singular. 6? Described in B. xxvii. c. 29. 



6** A city not far from the Canopic branch of the Kile. 



