BOOK VIII. XV. 3-6 



upon it. On the other hand, the middle part of the 4 

 pond should be made of earth, so that it may be sown 

 with the Egyptian bean " and other green stuff which 

 generally grows in the water and provides shade for the 

 haunts of the waterfowl. Some of them take pleasure 

 in lingering in little plantations of tamarisk and thickets 

 of club-rushes. Nevertheless the whole space should 

 not fortius reason be occupied by little plantations, but, 

 as I have said, should be left free all round the 

 circumference, so that, as they are cheered by a 

 day of sunshine, the water fowl may vie with one 

 another to see which swims the fastest. For just as 5 

 they require to be where there are holes into which 

 they can creep and where they can lie in wait for 

 fresh-water creatures which are in hiding, so they are 

 displeased if there are no open spaces in which they 

 can roam freely. The banks of the pond should be 

 clothed with grass to a distance of twenty feet all 

 round and beyond this space round the wall there 

 should be nest-boxes one foot square made of stone 

 and covered with a smooth layer of plaster in which 

 the birds may lay their eggs. These nest-boxes 

 should be protected by bushes planted between 

 them of box and myrtle which should not exceed the 

 walls in height. 



Next a continuous channel should be constructed, 6 

 sunk into the ground, along which the food may be 

 carried down every day mingling with the water, for 

 this is how birds of this kind get their food. The 

 foods grown on dry land which they like best are 

 panic-grass andmillet and also barley ; but, where there 

 is abundance of them, acorns and grape-husks are also 

 provided. If there is food which grows in the water 

 available, they are given fresh-water crayfish and small 



399 



