ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, V. H. 3-111. i 



' centres ' which occur in marbles. That 1 vigorous 

 growth covers 2 up the knots is plain from simple 

 observation of the fact and also from other similar 

 instances. 3 For often some part of the tree itself is 

 absorbed by the rest of the tree which has grown 

 into it ; and again, if one makes a hole in a tree and 

 puts 4 a stone into it or some other such thing, it 

 becomes buried, being completely enveloped by the 

 wood which grows all round it : this happened with 

 the wild olive in the market-place at Megara ; there 

 was an oracle that, if this were cut open, the city 

 would be taken and plundered, which came to pass 

 when Demetrius took it. 5 For, when this tree was 

 split open, there were found greaves and certain 

 other things 6 of Attic workmanship hanging there, 

 the hole 7 in the tree having been made at the place 

 where the things were originally hung on it as offer- 

 ings. Of this tree a small part still exists, and in 

 many other places further instances have occurred. 

 Moreover, as has been said, such occurrences happen 

 also with various other trees. 



Of differences in the texture of different woods. 



III. 8 Corresponding to the individual characters of 

 the several trees we have the following kinds of 

 differences in the wood : it differs in closeness, 

 heaviness, hardness or their opposites, and in other 

 similar ways ; and these differences are common to 

 cultivated and wild trees. So that we may speak of 

 all trees without distinction. 



7 tyyatrius KpffjLaffra rov KOT'IVOV ov I conj. from G and 

 Plin. I.e. (certain restoration perhaps impossible) ; /ce^7jo"n o 

 fffnv ff Korlfcf- ol U; Aid. has Kepwo-rl, M Kpf^aarrl, V nep- 

 /j.d<TTQ)v ; St. suggested Kpf/j.affT<H>v oir\<av &s words of the 

 original text. 8 Plin. 16. 204-207. 



43 1 



