458 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXX. 



owl, taken in honied wine with a lily root that is, if we believe 

 what the magicians tell us. For contractions of the sinews, the 

 flesh of ring-doves is very good, dried and taken with the food : 

 and for spasmodic affections, the ashes of a hedge-hog or weasel 

 are used. A serpent's slough, attached to the patient's body in 

 a piece of bull's hide, is a preventive of spasms : and the dried 

 liver of a kite, taken in doses of three oboli, in three cyathi 

 of hydromel, is a preservative against opisthotony. 



CHAP. 37. REMEDIES FOR MALADIES OF THE NAILS AND FINGEHS. 



Agnails and hangnails upon the fingers are removed by 

 using the ashes of a burnt dog's head, or the uterus of a bitch 

 boiled in oil, the fingers being first rubbed with a liniment of 

 ewe-milk butter, mixed with honey. The gall-bladder, too, of 

 any animal is very useful for this purpose. Malformed nails 

 are healed with an application of cantharides and pitch, which 

 is removed at the end of two days ; or else with locusts fried 

 with he-goat suet ; or with an application of mutton suet. Some 

 mix mistletoe and purslain with these ingredients; while 

 others, again, use verdigrease and mistletoe, removing the appli- 

 cation at the end of two days. 



CHAP. 38. (13.) METHODS FOR ARRESTING HAEMORRHAGE. 



Bleeding at the nostrils is arrested by mutton suet taken 

 from the caul, introduced into the nostrils ; by drawing up 

 rennet, lamb's rennet in particular, mixed with water, into the 

 nostrils, or by using it as an injection, a remedy which succeeds 

 even where other remedies have failed ; by making up goose- 

 grease into a bolus with an equal quantity of butter, and 

 plugging the nostrils with it; or by using the earth that 

 adheres to snails, or else the snails themselves, extracted from 

 the shell. Excessive discharges from the nostrils are arrested 

 also by applying crushed snails, or cobwebs, to the forehead. 

 Eor issues of blood from the brain, the blood or brains of 

 poultry are used, as also pigeons' dung, thickened and kept 

 for the purpose. In cases where there is an immoderate flow 

 of blood from a wound, an application of horse-dung, burnt 

 with egg-shells, is marvellously good for stopping it. 



CHAP. 39. REMEDIES FOR ULCEROUS SORES AND WOUNDS. 



Tor the cure of ulcers, wool-grease is used, with ashes of 



