ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, II. iv. 2-4 



men bid one moisten the seed in nitre for a night l 

 and sow it in dry ground the next day. To make 

 lentils vigorous they plant the seeds in dung 2 ; to 

 make chick-peas large they bid one moisten the 

 seed while still in the pods/ before sowing. Also 

 the time of sowing makes differences which conduce 

 to digestibility and harmlessness 4 : thus, if one sows 

 vetches 5 in spring, they become quite harmless and 

 are not indigestible like those sown in autumn. 



Again in pot-herbs change is produced by culti- 

 vation ; for instance, they say that, 6 if celery seed 

 is trodden and rolled in after sowing, it comes up 

 curly ; it also varies from change of soil, like other 

 things. Such variations are common to all ; we must 

 now consider whether a tree, like animals, becomes 

 unproductive from mutilation or removal of a part. 

 At all events it does not appear that division 7 is an 

 injury, as it were, which affects the amount of fruit 

 produced ; either the whole tree perishes, or else, 

 if it survives, 8 it bears fruit. Old age however is a 

 cause which in all plants puts an end to life 9 



It would seem more surprising if 10 the following 

 changes occurred in animals naturally and frequently ; 

 some animals do indeed seem to change according to 

 the seasons, for instance, the hawk the hoopoe and 

 other similar birds. So also changes in the nature 

 of the ground produce changes in animals, for instance, 

 the water-snake changes into a viper, if the marshes 



6 cf. Plin. 18. 139 ; Col. 2. 10. 34. 



8 cf. C.P. 5. 6. 7 ; Geop. 12. 23. 2. 



7 76 conj. Sch.; re Aid. 



8 Std/j.fi'ov conj. Sch.; Stafjifvovra Aid. 



9 Something seems to have been lost at the end of 3. 



10 ei ins. Sch.; rotavrai may however mean 'the above- 

 mentioned,' and refer to something which has been lost. 



125 



