ers), that it is not at all likely that it flows from snow. The
first and greatest evidence is afforded by the winds, which blow hot
from these regions; the second is that the land is rainless always and
without frost, whereas after snow has fallen rain must necessarily come
within five days, so that if it snowed in those parts rain would fall
there; the third evidence is afforded by the people dwelling there, who
are of a black colour by reason of the burning heat. Moreover kites and
swallows remain there through the year and do not leave the land; and
cranes flying from the cold weather which comes on in the region of
Scythia come regularly to these parts for wintering: if then it snowed
ever so little in that land through which the Nile flows and in which
it has its rise, none of these things would take place, as necessity
compels us to admit. As for him who talked about the Ocean, he carried
his tale into the region of the unknown, and so he need not be refuted;
since I for my part know of no river Ocean existing, but I think that
Homer or one of the poets who were before him invented the name and
introduced it into his verse.

If however after I have found fault with the opinions proposed, I am
bound to declare an opinion of my own about the matters which are in
doubt, I will tell what to my mind is the reason why the Nile increases
in the summer. In the winter season the Sun, being driven away from his
former path through the heaven by the stormy winds, comes to the upper
parts of Libya. If one would set forth the matter in the shortest way,
all has now been said; for whatever region this god approaches most and
stands directly above, this it may reasonably be supposed is most in
want of water, and its native streams of rivers are dried up most.
However, to set it forth at greater length, thus it is:--the Sun passing
in his course by the upper parts of Libya, does thus, that is to say,
since at all times the air in those parts is clear and the country is
warm, because there are no cold winds, in passing through it the Sun
does just as he was wont to do in the summer, when going through the
midst of the heaven, that is he draws to himself the water, and having
drawn it he drives it away to the upper parts of the country, and the
winds take it up and scattering it abroad melt it into rain; so it is
natural that the winds which blow from this region, namely the South
and South-west Winds, should be much the most rainy