Note 2842 — BOOK XXX. REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES.

Of cowdung. It was supposed that there was no female scarabæus, and that the male insect formed these balls for the reproduction of its species. It figures very largely in the Egyptian mythology and philosophy as the emblem of the creative and generative power. It has been suggested that its Coptic name “skalouks” is a compound Sanscrit word, signifying—“The ox-insect that collects dirt into a round mass.” See B. xi, c. 34.