PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 281 



Again, Joan. Veflingius, who was 

 long in Egypt, differs not a little from 

 Alpinus, as to the culture of palm-trees 

 there: *' Caufa tam foecundi proventus 

 " (fays he) in telluris habitudinem refe- 

 " renda eft, arenofam fcilicet et falfam, 

 " pkntae huic gratiffimam. Vidi his 

 " locis, in palmarumveluti fylvis, terram. 

 " copiofiflimi nitri calida nive late con- 

 " fperfam, vel aquis Nili, vel rofcida noc 

 " tium humiditate fervidiore fole peru- 

 *' ftis. Nee opus liic maritali cinere pal- 

 " mae effoeminatae vigorem incitare. 

 ** Flantibus enim ab auftro per iEchiopi- 

 VOL. I. N n " am, 



•' nant utriufque fexus palmar ut mares eo fakem inter- 

 •• vallo a foe Minis diftent, quo pulvi , ventorum flatt- 

 «« bus a foliis mafcularum fublatus in toeminarum folia 

 •• incidat ; idque fatis ad toecunditatem, et frudtus ma- 

 " turationem facere compertum elt Se.'. niirum diflu ! 

 " quod fi qua procul a mare abiiiterit, ut neque pulvis, 

 ** neque aura, odorve ejus, ad ean^ petmeast p. ffit, 

 " excogitaverunt coloni funem a mare religatam ad 

 *• Joeminam ulque producer j ; atque ita quaG Hiaritali 

 " vinculo copulatam, malculi virtute clanculum per 

 " lunera irrepente, toecundam fieri, quae prius in ca 

 •' fterilefceb.it filitudine." It u eal'y to conceive how 

 infedls may creep along a rop but not how a powder cr 

 dull can be thus conveyed from one tree to a nother. 



