Physical Science in the Time of Nero: Naturales Quaestiones (1910) - Page 20

CHAP.		PAGE
	however, do not let him think too highly of himself simply because he is the governor of that historic province, Sicily, which has in the past decided the fate of generals and empires . . . . . . . .	159
I.	Leaving Sicily and its marvels, let us address the part of the previous book that was omitted: the Nile. There is no real similarity between it and the Danube . . . . . . . . . .	166
II.	The course of the Nile; its waterfalls. The river's flooding. Its importance to Egypt. Its inhabitants; crocodiles and dolphins in battle. Causes of the overflow: melting snow; Etesian winds; the drying up of springs due to the earth's internal heat in winter; the sun's attraction in Africa drawing water from the sea to fill the gap caused by evaporation [none of these accounts are apparently accepted] . . . . .	167
III.	The origin of hail; why it differs from snow . . . . .	177
IV.	Causes of snow in winter and hail in spring . . . . .	179
V.	It is said that the cooler air of the North (Scythia, etc.) is stirred by the melting of snow in spring and floats southward, causing hail instead of rain . . . . . . . . .	180
VI.	Hail, it is again claimed, can be averted by sacrifice. If a victim is not available, you need only prick your finger! . . .	181
VII.	This belief in the power of blood was an ancient superstition .	182
VIII.	Three reasons why the air near the earth is warmest and therefore produces snow rather than hail . . . . . .	182
IX.	Democritus' view: dense bodies are heated most quickly and retain their heat longest . . . . . . . .	183
X.	The air nearest the earth is denser than elsewhere . . .	184
XI.	It is argued that mountain tops should be warmer because they are closer to the sun. The difference is entirely insignificant if we adopt the scale of the universe, which is the correct one . . .	184
XII.	The relatively mild air near the earth causes snow, but not hail . . . . . . . . . . .	186
XIII.	The despicable luxury of the effeminate Romans, who bought snow, bathed in it, and had to resort even to ice to cool the unnatural, feverish thirst born of their indulgence . . .	186

BOOK V

TREATING OF WINDS AND MOVEMENT OF THE ATMOSPHERE


I.	DEFINITION of wind: air flowing in one direction. The air, like the sea, is always moving, even when it is thought to be still; hence the necessity for the additional qualification: "in one direction."	193
II.	Democritus says wind arises from a multitude of atoms in a small space struggling to get free, much like a crowd jostling one another .	194