82 pliny's natural history. [Book XYIII.. 



the mattock for seed plots ; trenches, too, should be opened out, 

 and the water drained from oif the fields, and the ])resses^* 

 should be well washed and put away. Never put eggs beneath 

 the hen between the calends of November ^^ and the winter 

 solstice :^^ during all the summer and up to the calends of No- 

 vember, you may put thirteen under the hen ; but the number 

 must be smaller in winter, not less than nine, however. 

 Democritus is of opinion, that the winter will turn out of the 

 same character^' as the weather on the day of the winter sol- 

 stice and the three succeeding days ; the same too with the 

 summer and the weather at the summer solstice. About tht 

 winter solstice, for about twice seven days mostly, while the I 

 halcj-on*^ is sitting, the winds are lulled, and the wejithei 

 serene j'^^ but in this case, as in all others, the influence of th(. 

 stars must only be judged of by the result, and we must nol 

 expect the changes of the weather, as if out upon their recog- 

 nizances,^" to make their appearance exactly on certain prede- 

 termined days. 



CHAP. 63. — WORK TO BE DONE AT THE WINTER SOLSTICE. 



Be careful never to touch the vine at the winter solstice. 

 Hyginus recommends us to strain and even rack- off wine a1 

 the seventh day after the winter solstice, provided the moon it 

 seven days old. About this period, also, the cherry-tree, he 

 says, should be planted. Acorns, too, should now be put in 

 soak for the oxen, a modius for each pair. If given in largei 

 quantities, this food will prove injurious to their health; and 

 whenever it is given, if they are fed with it for less than thirty 

 days in succession, an attack of scab in the spring, it is said, 

 Avill be sure to make you repent. 



This, too, is the period that we have already assigned ^^ for 

 cutting timber — otlier kinds of work, again, may be found for 

 tlie hours of the night, which are then so greatly prolonged. 

 There are baskets, hurdles, and panniers to be woven, and wood 



■* For the grape and the olive. « First of November. 



•♦' In the more northern climates this is never done till the spring. 

 ■"^ Tills is merely ini;iginary. 

 '3 Or king-fisher. It was a general belief that this bird incubated on' 

 tl;? surface of tlie ocean. 



•*^ Hence the expression, "Halcvon days." 



» Vadimonia. "oi la u. xvi. c. 74. 



