Chapter I: Front Matter

THE
BOYS' AND GIRLS'
PLINY

BEING PARTS OF PLINY'S "NATURAL HISTORY"

EDITED FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, WITH AN INTRODUCTION

BY
JOHN S. WHITE, LL.D.

HEAD-MASTER BERKELEY SCHOOL

EDITOR OF "THE BOYS' AND GIRLS' PLUTARCH" AND "THE BOYS' AND GIRLS'
HERODOTUS"

WITH FIFTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YORK AND LONDON
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
_The Knickerbocker Press_

COPYRIGHT BY
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
1885

CONTENTS.

_BOOK I._ DEDICATION. CHAP. PAGE Caius Plinius Secundus to his Friend Titus Vespasian 1 _BOOK II._ AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD AND THE ELEMENTS. I. The Character and Form of the World 9 II. Of God 12 III. The Dimensions of the World 15 IV. Of the Stars which appear suddenly, or of Comets 16 V. The Doctrine of Hipparchus about the Stars 17 VI. Of the Stars which are Named Castor and Pollux 18 VII. Of Thunder and Lightning 19 VIII. Nature of the Earth 20 IX. Italy 25 X. The Hyperboreans 27 XI. Britannia 29 XII. Mount Atlas 30 XIII. The Island of Taprobana 31 _BOOK III._ MAN, HIS BIRTH AND HIS ORGANIZATION. I. Man 37 II. The Wonderful Forms of Different Nations 40 III. Instances of Extraordinary Strength 49 IV. Instances of Remarkable Agility and Acuteness of Sight 50 V. Vigor of Mind, and Courage 51 VI. Men of Remarkable Genius and Wisdom 57 _BOOK IV._ THE NATURE OF TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS. I. Elephants; their Capacity 60 II. The Combats of Elephants 66 III. The Way in which Elephants are Caught 68 IV. The Age of the Elephant, and Other Particulars 69 V. The Lion 71 VI. Wonderful Feats Performed by Lions 74 VII. Panthers and Tigers 78 VIII. The Camel 80 IX. The Rhinoceros and the Crocotta 82 X. The Animals of Æthiopia; Wild Beasts which Kill with their Eyes 84 XI. Wolves; Serpents 85 XII. The Crocodile and the Hippopotamus 88 XIII. Prognostics of Danger Derived from Animals 92 XIV. The Hyæna 93 XV. Deer 94 XVI. The Chameleon 97 XVII. Bears and their Cubs 98 XVIII. Hedgehogs 100 XIX. The Wild Boar 101 XX. Apes 102 _BOOK V._ DOMESTIC ANIMALS. I. The Dog; Examples of its Attachment to its Master 104 II. The Horse 107 III. The Ox 112 IV. The Egyptian Apis 114 V. Sheep and their Wool 115 VI. Different Kinds of Cloths 118 VII. Goats 120 _BOOK VI._ THE NATURAL HISTORY OF FISHES. I. Why the Largest Animals are Found in the Sea 121 II. The Forms of the Tritons and Nereids 124 III. The Balæna and the Orca 125 IV. Dolphins 127 V. The Various Kinds of Turtles 133 VI. Distribution of Aquatic Animals into Various Species 134 VII. Fishes Valued for the Table 139 VIII. Peculiar Fishes 142 IX. Bloodless Fishes 144 X. Various Kinds of Shell-Fish 151 XI. Pearls 153 XII. The Nature of the Murex and the Purple 160 XIII. Bodies which have a Third Nature, that of the Animal and Vegetable Combined 164 XIV. The Shark 165 XV. Oyster-Beds, and Fish-Preserves 167 XVI. Land-Fishes 169 XVII. How the Fish Called the Anthias is Taken 170 XVIII. The Echeneis and the Torpedo 172 XIX. The Instincts and Peculiarities of Fishes 174 XX. Coral 176 XXI. The Various Kinds of Oysters 177 _BOOK VII._ THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. I. The Ostrich 180 II. The Phoenix 181 III. The Eagle 182 IV. The Vulture and the Hawk 187 V. The Crow, the Raven, and the Owl 191 VI. The Woodpecker of Mars 193 VII. The Peacock and the Rooster 194 VIII. The Goose 197 IX. Cranes 198 X. Storks and Swans 199 XI. Foreign Birds which Visit Us 201 XII. Swallows 203 XIII. Birds which take their Departure from Us in Winter 204 XIV. The Nightingale 206 XV. The Halcyons: the Halcyon Days that are Favorable to Navigation 208 XVI. The Instinctive Cleverness Displayed by Birds in the Construction of their Nests 209 XVII. The Acanthyllis and the Partridge 210 XVIII. Pigeons 213 XIX. Different Modes of Flight and Progression in Birds 215 XX. Strange and Fabulous Birds 216 XXI. The Art of Cramming Poultry.--Aviaries 224 XXII. Peculiarities of Animals 226 _BOOK VIII._ THE VARIOUS KINDS OF INSECTS. I. The Extreme Smallness of Insects 232 II. Whether Insects Breathe, and Whether they have Blood 234 III. Bees 236 IV. The Mode in which Bees Work 238 V. The Mode of Government of the Bees 242 VI. Wasps and Hornets 244 VII. The Silk-Worm 245 VIII. Spiders 246 IX. Locusts 248 X. Ants 250 _BOOK IX._ THE NATURAL HISTORY OF METALS. I. Gold 252 II. The Origin of Gold Rings 254 III. Coins of Gold 256 IV. Silver 260 V. Mirrors 261 VI. Instances of Immense Wealth 263 VII. Instances of Luxury in Silver Plate 265 VIII. Bronze 268 IX. Statues of Bronze 271 X. The most Celebrated Colossal Statues in the City 277 XI. Of the most Celebrated Works in Bronze, and of the Artists who Executed them 280 XII. Iron 287 XIII. An Account of Paintings and Colors 289 XIV. The Earliest Painters 292 XV. Artists who Painted with the Pencil 296 XVI. Various other Kinds of Painting 311 XVII. The Inventors of the Art of Modelling 313 XVIII. Works in Pottery 315 XIX. Sculpture 318 XX. Obelisks 323 CONCLUSION.--Italy 326

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE View of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius _Frontispiece._ The Indian Elephant 43 African Elephant.--_Loxodonta Africana_ 66 Gambian Lion.--_Leo Gambianus_ 72 Wild Cat.--_Felis Catus_ 75 Margay.--_Leopardus Tigrinus_ 77 Jaguar.--_Leopardus Onca_ 78 Tiger.--_Tigris Regális_ 79 Camel.--_Camélus Arábicus_ 80 Giraffe.--_Giraffa Camelopárdalis_ 81 Indian Rhinoceros.--_Rhinóceros Unicornis_ 82 Keittoa, or Sloan's Rhinoceros.--_Rhinoceros Keittoa_ 83 Viper, or Adder.--_Pelias Berus_ 87 Hippopotamus, or Zeekoe.--_Hippopotamus Amphibius_ 91 Common Mouse.--_Mus Músculus_ (White, Brown and Pied Varieties) 92 Caribou.--_Larandus Rangifer_ 95 Syrian Bear, or Dubb.--_Ursus Isabellinus_ 99 Hedgehog.--_Erinaceus Europæus_ 100 Wild Boar.--_Sus Scrofa_ 101 Silvery Gibbon.--_Hylóbates Leuciscus_ 102 The Orang-Outan.--_Simia Sátyrus_ 103 Maltese Dog.--_Canis Familiáris_ 105 Thibet Dog.--_Canis Familiáris_ 106 Mustang 109 Zebra.--_Ásinus Zebra_ 110 Ass.--_Ásinus Vulgaris_ 111 Merino, or Spanish Sheep 116 Musk Ox.--_Ovibos Moschátus_ 119 Sea-Elephant.--_Morunga proboscidea_ 122 Rorqual.--_Physalus Böops_ 126 Spermaceti Whale.--_Cátodon Macrocéphalus_ 126 Dolphin.--_Delphinus Delphis_ 130 Group of Seals 135 Long-Spined Chætodon.--_Heinochus Monoceros_ 141 Filamentous Gunard.--_Pelor filamentosum_ 143 Otter.--_Lutra Vulgaris_ 171 Bald, or White-Headed Eagle.--_Haliaëtus Leucocephalus_ 183 Martial Eagle.--_Spizáëtus bellicosus_ 186 Group of Falcons 189 Stork.--_Ciconia Alba_ 200 Spotted King Fisher.--_Céryle Guttáta_ 217 Rhinoceros Hornbill.--_Búceros Rhinoceros_ 218 King Penguin.--_Aptenodytes Pennantii_ 222 Gigantic Salamander.--_Sieboldia Maxima_ 226 Hemigale.--_Hemigale Hardwickii_ 227 Group of Rodent Animals 229 The Cat.--_Felis Domestica_ 230 Merian's Opossum.--_Philander Dorsigerus_ 251 Panda, or Wah.--_Aiúlrus Fulgens_ 276 Colossus at Rhodes 279