402 Pliny's natural history. [Book XXIX. 



being destitute of wings, and the bite of which causes a 

 wasting away of the system. The myrmecion^^ in the head 

 resembles the ant, has a black body spotted with white, and 

 causes by its bite a pain like that attendant upon the sting of 

 the wasp. Of the tetraguathius^^ there are two varieties, the 

 more noxious of which has two white streaks crossing each 

 other on the middle of the head ; its bite causes the mouth 

 to swell. The other one is of an ashy colour, whitish on the 

 posterior part of the body, and not so ready to bite. 



The least noxious of all is the spider that is seen extending 

 its web along the walls, and lying in wait for flies; it is of the 

 same ashy colour as the last. 



For the bite of all spiders, the best remedies are : a cock's 

 brains, taken in oxycrate with a little pepper ; five ants, swal- 

 lowed in drink ; sheep's dung, applied in vinegar ; and spiders 

 of any kind, left to putrefy in oil. The bite of the shrew- 

 mouse is cured by taking lamb's rennet in wine ; the ashes of a 

 ram's foot with honey ; or a young weasel, prepared in manner 

 already^'^ mentioned by us when speaking of serpents. In 

 cases where a shrewmouse has bitten beasts of burden, a mouse, 

 fresh caught, is applied to the wound with oil, or a bat's gall 

 with vinegar. The shrew-mouse itself too, split asunder and 

 applied to the wound, is a cure for its bite ; indeed, if the 

 animal is with young when the injury is inflicted, it will 

 instantly burst asunder. The best plan is to apply the mouse 

 itself which has inflicted the bite, but others are commonly 

 kept for this purpose, either steeped in oil or coated with clay. 

 Another remedy, again, for its bite is the earth taken from the 

 rut made by a cart-wheel ; for this animal, it is said, owing 

 to a certain torpor which is natural to it, will never cross** 

 a rut made by a wheel. 



CHAP. 28. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE STELLIO OR SPOTTED 



LIZARD. 



The stellio, in its turn, is said to have the greatest antipathy 

 to the scorpion •,^^ so much so indeed, that the very sight of it 

 strikes terror in that reptile, and a torpor attended with cold 

 sweats ; hence it is that this lizard is left to putrefy in oil, as 



" From fjivpfi?)^, "an ant." 53 The "four-jawed" spider. 



5-1 In c. 16 of this Book. 55 ggg B. viii. e. 83. 



^ See B. xix. c. 22. For further particulars as to the Stellio, see B. xi. 

 c. 31, and the Note. 



