OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 



293 



"407 B. C." (Sra. b. d.), at Rome, military tribunes holding the place of consuls. Expiration of 

 the "twenty years " truce with Veii (the reckoning therefore in old Roman years of ten months). 



About this time (Clint.), improvements in music by the Greek poet Timotheus. 



"In this year" (Xenoph., and Clint.), Cyrus the younger sent to the coast of Asia Minor, to 

 command on the sea and co-operate with the Spartans. 



Ranunculus Asiaticus of the East Mediterranean countries and middle Asia. The garden 

 ranunculus is called in Japan " tagaras " or " dobusesi " or " kimpoge " (Thumb.), in Persian 

 "kabikej" (Avicenn., and Ebn Bait.), in Egypt "zaphyl" (Clot-Bey), on Cyprus "agrio selinon" 

 (Sibth.), in which we recognise the "selinon agrion" identified through Syn. Diosc. with the BAT PA 

 XJ N prescribed in Nat. mul. 29, — and 1 Morb. mul. 108, described by Dioscorides as a cubit 

 high, growing along rills, its leaves coriander-like, and flowers yellow or sometimes " porphuroun : " 

 R. Asiaticus is termed " r. grumosa radice flore phceniceo minimo simplici " by Tournefort inst. 287 ; 

 was observed by Sibthorp, Chaubard, and Fraas, from the Peloponnesus to Asia Minor and Cyprus, 

 its flowers yellow or sometimes scarlet ; by Thunberg, frequent along ditches in Japan ; by Clot-Bey, 

 in the gardens of Egypt. Westward, the " batrachium " is described by Scribonius Largus 174 as 

 ulcerating, and is identified by Pliny xxv. 109 with the " ranunculum " of the Romans, his account 

 being chiefly taken from Dioscorides : R. Asiaticus is well known as a garden-flower throughout 

 Europe. And by European colonists was carried to Northeast America, where it continues under 

 cultivation. 



Delphinium staphisagria of the Mediterranean countries. A species of larkspur called in 

 Greece "agria staphitha" (Sibth.), in Egyptian " ivesaoithe " (Syn. Diosc.) ; in which we recognize 

 the ST A* 15: A T P I A of Nat. mul. 584, — Nicander ther. 943, having upright stems according to 

 Dioscorides, incised leaves like those of " ampglou agrias," green follicles containing blackish trigonal 

 acrid seeds that excite vomiting, the bruised plant applied against " phth&iriasgis : " D. staphisagria 

 was observed by Sibthorp, Bory, and Fraas, frequent about villages from Crete to the Peloponnesus 

 and Euboea. Westward, the " staphis agria " or " astaphis " or " phthSirion " or " phthgiroktonon " 

 or " apanthr6pon " is identified in Syn. Diosc. with the " grva pfithikoularia '' of the Romans ; the 

 "herba pedicularis " is mentioned by Columella vi. 30. 8, the " pedicularia " or "staphis agria" by 

 Scribonius Largus 166, and the "astaphis agria" or " staphis " by Pliny xxiii. 13 : D. staphisagria is 

 described by Lobel adv. 306, and Dalechamp p. 1609 ; is termed " d. platani folia staphisagria dic- 

 tum" by Tournefort inst. 428 ; was observed by Tenore in Italy (Steud.) ; and is known to occur 

 in "waste places" in other parts of Southern Europe, and as far as the Canary Islands (Pers., and 

 Lindl.). By European colonists, was carried to the Mauritius Islands, observed under cultivation 

 there by Bojer. The seeds according to Lindley " are emetic drastic and inflammatory, never used 

 internally," but chiefly for " destroying pediculi in the head." 



Iberis se/nperjlorens of the Mediterranean and Tauro-Caspian countries. Called in Egyptian 

 " souitSmpson " (Syn. Diosc.) in Italy " thlaspi " (Targ.), in which we recognize the QAASPI of 

 Nat. mul. 29, — growing according to Dioscorides on walls and along pathways, a little herb with 

 whitish flowers, fruit flattened from the summit and containing small discoidal " entSthlasmSnon " 

 seed ; also mentioned by Galen, and Paulus of Aegina : a species of Iberis was observed by Forskal 

 on Imros ; I. semperflorens is described by Linnaeus, and is known to grow in Persia (Pers.). West- 

 ward, the " thlaspi " or " thlaspithion " or " muoptfron " is identified in Syn. Diosc. with the " kap- 

 sSllam " or " skanthoulakioum " or " pSthgm gallinakSoum " of the Romans ; but the account by 

 Pliny xxvii. 113 of the "thlaspi " seems taken from Dioscorides : I. semperflorens is known to occur 

 on Sicily (Pers.). 



Iberis sempervirens of the Mediterranean countries. Also called in Italy " thlaspi " (Targ.), 

 and possibly the " thlaspi " in question, — especially as two Cappadocian kinds are mentioned by 

 Galen (Spreng.) : I. sempervirens is described by Rivinus tetr. pi. 224; is termed "thlaspi mon- 

 tanum sempervirens" by Tournefort inst. 213, " i. garrexiana var." by Allioni, "i saxatilis var." by 

 Lamarck fl. fr. (Steud.) ; is known to grow in Southern France, Italy, and Crete (Pers.) ; was 

 observed on the mountains of Crete by Sibthorp. 



Sempcrvivum arboreum of the Mediterranean countries. A woody-stemmed houseleek called 

 on Corcyra " anastasian," on Chios " amaranton " (Anguill.), by the prophets " parfinuhia " or 

 "hrusitis," in Egyptian "pamphanes" (Syn. Diosc): the KP1NAN9EAAON growing on houses 

 and prescribed in Nat. mul. 29 — maybe compared; also the "aizoon" in whose juice all seeds 

 according to Democritus should be soaked (Plin. xviii. 45), growing according to Theophrastus vii. 

 15. 2 on the ground as well as on walls and places on roofs where sandy soil collects, and having 

 smooth fleshy leaves always green : the "aJizdon to mega " of Dioscorides having stems a cubit or 

 more high, growing in mountainous situations and planted in vases upon roofs, is referred here by 

 writers: S. arboreum was observed by Sibthorp on walls and among rubbish on Cyprus. West- 

 ward, the "aeizoonto mega" or "agithaleV'or " zdophthalmon " or "aidnion" or " stergethron " is 



