282 
pliny's NATUEAL HISTOET. [BookVIIl. 
the human race ; for all who behold its eyes, fall dead upon the 
spot.^^ 
CHAP. 33. THE SEEPENTS CALLED BASILISKS. 
There is the same power also in the serpent called the basi- 
lisk.^ It is produced in the province of Cyrene, being not 
more than twelve fingers in length. It has a white spot on the 
head, strongly resembling a sort of a diadem. When it 
hisses, all the other serpents fly from it : and it does not ad- 
vance its body, like the others, by a succession of folds, but 
moves along upright and erect upon the middle. It destroys 
all shrubs, not only by its contact, but those even that it has 
breathed upon ; it burns up all the grass too, and breaks the 
stones, so tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly 
a general belief that if a man on horseback killed one of these 
animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and 
kill, not only the rider, but the horse as well. To this dread- 
ful monster the efiiuvium of the weasel is fatal, a thing that 
has been tried with success, for kings have often desired to see 
its body when killed ; so true is it that it has pleased JS'ature 
that there should be nothing without its antidote. The animal 
is thrown into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known 
from the soil around it being infected. The weasel destroys 
the basilisk by its odour, but dies itself in this struggle of nature 
against its own seLf.^^ 
CHAP. 34. (22.) — WOLVES ; the oeigin of the stoey of veesi- 
PELLIS. 
In Italy also it is believed that there is a noxious influence 
in the eye of a wolf ; it is supposed that it will instantly take 
TFiliflTi describes this animal more in detail, Anim. Nat. B. vii. c. 5. 
Cuvier thinks it probable that it is the Antelope gnu ; he remarks, that it 
has a very peculiar and mournful appearance ; Ajasson, -vol. vi. p. 435 ; 
Lemaire, vol. iii. p. 405. — B. 
62 This account of the basilisk's eye, like that of the catoblepas, is en- 
tirely devoid of foundation. — B. 
63 Many species have certain marks on the head, which were supposed to 
resemble a crown. — B. 
64 There is probably no foundation for this account of the action of the 
effluvium of the weasel upon the basilisk or any other species of serpent — B. 
