492 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



toward evening it sends out a ray like lightning. It is not easy to ob- 

 tain, for it has a habit of receding from the grasp of persons who wish to 

 pull it. Even when obtained it is sure to cause the death of those who 

 touch it unless handled with the greatest care. Divers expedients are 

 resorted to in order to procure it without danger. One of these is to dig 

 around it until only a very small part of the root remains fast in the 

 ground ; a dog is tied to this ; when he starts to follow the one who tied 

 him, he pulls the root. But the dog dies immediately, a sacrifice for 

 the person who secures the plant. 



Aelian's* story he relates of the plant cynospastus ("dog-dug") or 

 aglaophotis. This, he says, is not distinguished from other plants during 

 the day, but at night glows like a star. A sign is fastened to the roots 

 at night by which it may be known the next day. When the diggers 

 come at dawn to get it, they do not venture to pull it up themselves, for 

 it was said that the first person who touched it perished through ignorance 

 of its nature. They therefore take a dog which has been kept without 

 food for several days and tie him with a strong cord to the lower part of 

 the plant. They then throw him pieces of meat. Attracted by the 

 smell the dog springs forward, and thus pulls the plant. He dies at sun- 

 rise, and they bury him on the spot with secret rites, considering that he 

 has incurred death for their sake. 



It is evident that we have here two versions of the same story, differ- 

 ing somewhat in their details, but in general agreeing. Both plants 

 glow in the night, both are dug at peril of one's life unless certain 

 precautions are taken, in both cases the dog dies after jtulling the root, 

 and his death is regarded as a measure of atonement for the act. 

 Furthermore, the uses of the plants are similar : baaras is said to be 

 used to " drive out demons," while aglaophotis is good for epilepsy, — 

 doubtless the same malady in each case.f 



Josephus says that his plant grows near the Dead Sea; Aelian says 

 nothing about the habitat of aglaophotis, nor is it possible to infer 

 anything about it from the subject-matter of this book (XIV), for in 

 it he treats of various matters pertaining to many parts of the world, — ■ 

 Libya, India, Italy, Istria. But Pliny gives us a valuable hint as to the 

 source ot the story when he says that aglaophGtis grows in eastern 



* Nat. Anim., 14. 27. 



t Epilepsy, among otlier diseases, was regarded by the .Tews in the time of 

 Josephus as a manifestation of demoniac influence. See Scribner's Dictionary of 

 the Bible, vol. 1, p. 693. 



