BOOK XXI. xLix. 84-Li. 87 



is, all the whitest parts, and pour Into a vessel 

 containing a little cold water. Then it is boiled 

 again by itself « in sea-water, after which they cool 

 the vessel itself with water.* When they have 

 done this three times, they dry the wax in the 

 open, by sunUght and by moonlight, 011 a mat of 

 rushes. For the moon makes it white while the 

 sun dries it ; to prevent the sun from melting it, 

 they cover it with a piece of thin Hnen cloth. The 

 greatest whiteness, however, is obtained if after 

 the exposure to the sun the wax is once more boiled 

 again. Punic wax is the most useful for mediciiies. 

 Wax becomes dark with the addition of paper ash, 

 and red with an admixture of alkanet ; by paints 

 it is made to assume various colours for forming 

 Hkenesses, for the innumerable uses of men, and 

 even for the protection of walls and of weapons. 

 The other details about honey and about bees have 

 been described in my treatment of the nature of 

 the bee." Of gardens indeed practically the whole 

 account has been given. 



L. There follow the plants that grow wild. Most wud pianis. 

 peoples use these for food, especially the people of 

 Egypt, a land very fruitful in crops, yet about the 

 only one that could manage without them, so great 

 an abundance of food does it get from plants. In 

 Italy however we know few such, strawberries, 

 black bryony, butcher's broom, sea kale, and sam- 

 phire, which some call GalHc asparagus; besides 

 these there are meadow carrot and hop, though 

 these are deHcacies rather than foods. 



LI. In Egypt the most famous plant of this kind Cttlcas. 

 is the colocasia, called by some cyamos; they gather 

 it out of the Nile. The stalk of the stem ^ when 



223 



