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OCTOBER, 1881.)
THE INDIKA OF KTÉSIAS.
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go slowly that death scarcely ensues in less than a year's time."
17. He mentions an Indian bird called the Dikairon, 58 a bame equivalent in Greek to BikaLov (i.e. just). It is about the size of a partridge's egg. It buries its dung under the earth to prevent its being found. Should it be found notwithstanding, and should a person at morning tide swallow so much of it as would about equal a grain of sèsamum, he falls into a deep unconscious sleep from which he never awakes, but dies at the going down of the sun."
18. In the same country grows what is called the Parébon," a plant about the size of the olive, found only in the royal gardens, producing neither flower nor fruit, but having merely fifteen roots, which grow down into the earth, and are of considerable thickness, the very slenderest being about as thick as one's arm. If a span's length of this root be taken, it attracts to itself all objects brought near it-gold, silver, copper, stones and all things else except amber. If however a cubit's length of it be taken, it attracts lambs and birds, and it is in fact with this root that most kinds of birds are caught. Should you wish to turn water solid, even a whole gallon of it, you have but to throw into the water not more than an obol's weigbt of this root, and the thing is done. Its effect is the same upon wine which, when condensed by it, can be held in your hand like a piece of wax, though it melts the next day. It is found beneficial in the cure of bowel disorders.
19. Through India there flows a certain river, not of any great size, but only about two stadia in breadth, called in the Indian tongue Hy
parkhos, which means in Greek épor márra Ta ayadà (i.e. the bearer of all things good). This river for thirty days in every year floats down amber, for in the upper part of its course where it flows among the mountains there are said to be trees overhanging its current which for thirty days at a particular season in every year continue dropping tears like the almond-tree and the pine-tree and other trees. These tears on dropping into the water harden into gum. The Indian name for the tree is siptakhora," which means when rendered into Greek yukú, nou (ie. sweet). These trees then supply the Indians with their amber. And not only so but they are said to yield also berries, which grow in clusters like the grapes of the vine, and have stones as large as the filbert-nuts of Pontos.
20. He writes that on the mountains just spoken of there live men having heads like those of dogs, who wear the skins of wild beasts, and do not use articulate speech, but bark like dogs, and thus converse so as to be understood by each other. They have larger teeth than dogs, and claws like those of dogs, only larger and more rounded. They inhabit the mountains, and extend as far as the river Indus. They are swarthy, and like all the other Indians extremely just men. With the Indians they can hold intercourse, for they understand what they say, though they cannot, it is true, reply to them in words, still by barking and by making signs with their hands and their fingers like the deaf and the dumb, they can make themselves understood. They are called by the Indians Kalystrioi, which means in Greek Kuroképalo." (i..., dog-headed). Their
* Conf. Frag. xvii, also Strabo, XV, i, 87, where, quoting Megasthenes, he speaks of flying serpents that let fall drops which raise patrid sores on the skin.
- Alraupos : Tychsen compares the word with di, good, the good principle, and kar, doing, a participle of the verb
u k erden; the whole then means benefactor, and might be supposed to allude to the custom of the bird here mentioned. Bekker reads dikepov here. See Frag. xviii. 51 For fuller particulars vide Frag. xvii.
Tápngov (in Apollonius mapúbos,) may be compared with the Persian) bar, weight, burthen, and aver, bearing, drawing. This comparison however is rather defective.-Tychsen. See Frag. xix.
* Yapxos: Tychaon adduces the Persian Quer, bring. ing, carrying, and khosh, good : consequently dver. khosh, bringing good, which exactly corresponds with the signification pointed out by Ktésias. We might also comparow y ! berkhosh, good, so that the initial letter in 'Unapxos would be merely ouphonio, but then the participle
pápa would not be expressed. The river is called by Pliny the Hypobaras, vide Frag. II.
. Ettraxópa : Compare this with the Persian IRA ya shiftehkhor,'agroen ble to eat.' The Persians call an apricot , shifteh-reng, 'agreeable colour.' Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 2) bas 'arbores eas Aphytacoras vocare, where the word is disfigured.Tychsen.
61 India however does not produce amber, and the tree of which it is here said to be the gum, cannot be satisfactorily identified. Baehr quotes Plioy XII, ix, 19, 8 & passage of no small importance for settling the question.
63 Pliny (Hist. Nat. XV, xxii, 24), explains why Pontic nuts were so called. See Frage. xxi and xxii.
** Tychsen compares the word with the Persianus kelek or keluk, a wolf, and ser, the head, i.e. 'kelu kser, 'wolf-beaded.' Another word more exactly answering the sound of the Greek would be Kalusterin, the superlative of kalus, stupid, which would convert the doghead. ed people into blockheads, but this is not consonant with the translation of the name.-Heeren, Asiat. Nat. vol. II. p. 364. Vide Frags. xxi, xxii, xxi.
were son compares and memora mortisterin hebdogbert
