Professor D'Arcy W. Thompson has recently revived a conjecture of Lauth on Geoponica, XIII, 8, 1, which runs as follows: ὅϕεις οὔκ ἔσονται ⋯ν χωρ⋯ῳ ⋯⋯ν ⋯ʊ⋯νθιονἢ ⋯ρτεμ⋯σιον ἢ ⋯βρ⋯τονον περ⋯ τ⋯ν ἔπα$$υλιν ϕυτε⋯σῃς. τοὺς δ⋯ ⋯ντας ⋯λ⋯σεις ⋯⋯ν (directions for a fumigation follow). The conjecture is that ⋯ντας is the Egyptian hontasu, ‘lizard.’ That this would make sense is obvious; but the usage of the Geop. itself, to say nothing of other authors, indicates that the word is simply what it appears to be, namely the pres. part, of εἰμ⋯. Thus we find in X, 46 τ⋯ ς⋯κα σκώληκας ¿ὔ π¿ι⋯σει⋯⋯ν μ⋯λλων φυτε⋯ειν ⋯μπ⋯ξῃς σκ⋯λλῃ τ⋯ν κλ⋯δ¿ν, τ¿ὺς δ⋯ ⋯ντας ⋯ναιρεῖς ⋯⋯ν κ.τ.λ. Here the explanation ‘lizards’ would hardly be reasonable; still more cogent, however, is XII, 8, 2–3, ¿ὔκ ἔσονται … τ⋯ς δ⋯ οὔσας κ⋯μπας διαϕθερῖς, where no such conjecture is possible. Not dissimilar is XII, 19, 9, τ⋯ς τε γ⋯ρ οὔσας ψ⋯λλας ϕθε⋯ρεικα⋯ ἄλλας οὔκ ⋯ᾷ γεν⋯σθαι. All these extracts are taken from authors of the second and third centuries A.D., though we have no means of knowing how closely their actual wording is followed; it is therefore in point to cite a passage of Galen, the opening paragraph of the tractate περ⋯ αἱρ⋯σεων Medicine, he says, has for its aim health, and a physician must know how to bring about health if absent (μ⋯ παρο⋯σαν) and preserve it if present (παροȗσαν). καλεῖται δ⋯, he continues, τ⋯ μ⋯ν ⋯ργαζ⋯μενα τ⋯ν μ⋯ οὖσαν ὑγ⋯ειατν τε κα⋯ βοηθ⋯ματα, τ⋯ δ⋯ φυλ⋯ττοντα τ⋯ν οὖσαν ὑγιειν⋯ διαιτ⋯ματα. In other words, ὢν can be used in much the same sense as παρών. This is no novelty of Roman times, for we may compare, for instance, Soph. Ant. 1109, οἵ ' ὅντες οἵ τ'⋯π⋯ντες, and El, 305 τ⋯ς οὔσας … κα⋯ τ⋯ς ⋯πο⋯σας ⋯λπ⋯δας.