BOOK VI. xiii. 3-xiv. 3 



them, it will be beneficial to make a concoction of 

 bay-leaves and foment their backs with it while they 

 are still warm and immediately after to massage them 

 with a large quantity of oil and wine and to take hold 

 of the hide all over the animal and draw it away. 

 This is best done in the open air in burning sunshine. 

 Some people mix dregs of oil with wine and fat and use 

 it as a remedy after the fomentations mentioned above. 



XIV. It is also a serious distemper when the lungs Remedies 

 become ulcerated ; it results in coughing and lungsTnd***^ 

 emaciation and finally in phthisis. To prevent these swellings of 

 conditions from causing death, a root of lungwort, as and^neck^of 

 we prescribed above, is inserted in a hole made in the *° °^- 

 ear and then about a hemina of the juice of leek is 

 mixed with a like quantity of oil and given as a potion 

 for several days with a sextarius of wine. Some- 2 

 times too a swelling of the palate causes the animal 

 to refuse its food and heave frequent sighs, and an 

 impression is caused that it is hanging over towards 

 one side." It is beneficial also to make a wound in the 

 palate with a knife, so that the blood may flow, and 

 to administer bitter-vetch without its husk and 

 soaked and green leaves or some other soft fodder, 

 until the wound heals. 



If in the course of its work the ox has his neck 3 

 bruised, the most efficacious remedy is to draw blood 

 from the ear, or, if that is not done, the herb called 

 groundsel is crushed up with salt and placed on the 

 part affected. If the neck is moved in a certain 

 direction and hangs down, we shall examine and see 

 to which side it declines and draw blood from the ear 

 on the other side ; moreover, what appears to be the 

 largest vein in the ear is first beaten with a twig, and 

 ' The text, however, seems to be in need of further correction. 



163 



