ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, III. ix. 6-7 



while the whole trunk is longer ; that of the ' male ' 

 is less of a uniform colour thicker ^ and harder, has 

 more heart-wood, and is altogether inferior in appear- 

 ance. In the cone ^ of the ' male ' are a few seeds at 

 the apex, while that of the ' female,' according to 

 what the Macedonians said,^ contains none at all. 

 The foliage * is feathered and the height dispropor- 

 tionate so that the general appearance of the tree 

 is dome-like,^ and closely resembles the Boeotian 

 peasant's hat^ ; and it is so dense that neither snoAv 

 nor rain penetrates it. And in general the tree has 

 a handsome appearance ; for its growth is somewhat 

 peculiar, as has been said, compared with the others, 

 it being the only one which is regular, and in stature 

 it is large, much taller than the fir. 



' There is also not a little difference in the wood : 

 that of the silver-fir is fibrous ^ soft and light, that of 

 the fir is resinous heavy and more fleshy. The fir 

 has move knots,^ but the silver-fir harder ones ; 

 indeed they may be said to be harder than those of 

 any tree, though the wood otherwise is softer. And 

 in general the knots of silver-fir and fir are of the 

 closest and most solid ^^ texture and almost ^^ trans- 

 parent : in colour they are like resin-glutted wood, 

 and quite different from the rest of the wood ; and 

 this is especially so ^- in the silver-fir. And just as 



• OoXotiZri conj. Seal.; ffijAo€«5^ U (erased) ; ffijAoctSet ilV; 

 ut cancamtratum imitetur G ; ? OoXioeiSri ; in Theocr. 15. 39. 

 Oo\ia seems to be a sun-hat. 



® Kvvfais : ef. Hesych. s.v. mivrj Boiarria, apparently a hat 

 worn in the fields. 

 ' ef. 5. 1. 7. * cf. 5. 1. 5. » cf. 5. 1. 6. 



^* cf. 5. 1. 6, KtpecTwSeis. " ov ins. Sch. 



" fuiWov 5e conj. W. ; fJiWov f) Aid. " ef. .S. 9. .S 



219 



