350 pliny's NATURAL HISTORY. [Book XVI. 



tities at a time. He says, too, that this acorn is the last 

 to fall, and that the flesh of swine, if fed upon the acorns 

 of the Eesculus, the robur, or the cork-tree, will be of a 

 spongy nature. 



CHAP. 9. THE GALL-NUT. 



All 61 the glandiferous trees produce the gall-nut as well : 

 they only bear acorns, however, in alternate years. The gall- 

 nut of the hemeris 62 is considered the choicest of all, and the 

 best adapted for the preparation of leather : that of the lati- 

 folia closely resembles it, but is somewhat lighter, and not by 

 any means so highly approved. This last tree produces the 

 black gall-nut also — for there are two varieties of it — this last 

 being deemed preferable for dyeing wool. 



(7.) The gall-nut begins to grow just as the sun is leaving 

 the sign of Gemini, 63 and always bursts forth in its entirety in a 

 single night. 64 The white variety grows, too, in a single day, but 

 if the heat happens to overtake it, it shrinks immediately, and 

 never arrives at its proper size, which is about that of a bean. 

 The black gall-nut will remain green for a longer period, and 

 sometimes attains the size of an apple 65 even. The best kind is 

 that which comes from Commagene, 66 and the most inferior 

 are those produced by the robur : it may easily be tested by 

 means of certain holes in it which admit of the passage of the 

 light. 67 



CHAP. 10. OTHER PRODUCTIONS ON THESE TREES BESIDES THE 



ACORN. 



The robur, in addition to its fruit, has a great number of 

 other productions : it bears 68 the two varieties of the gall-nut, 



61 This assertion is perhaps too general ; gall-nuts are produced in very 

 small quantities hy the holm-oak. 



62 A variety of the Quercus racemosa, which produces the green gall- 

 nut of Aleppo, considered in modern, as in ancient, times the choicest in 

 quality. 



63 Theophrastus says the end of June._ 



64 Its growth, in reality, is not so rapid as this. 



65 Such a thing is never seen at the present day. 



es In Syria. We have mentioned the galls of Aleppo in Note 62. _ 

 67 This is the case when the inside has heen eaten away hy the insect 

 that hreeds there ; of course, in such case it is holloAv, light, and worthless, 

 ea The ancients were not aware that the gall was produced from the eggs 



