on which Leto bore Apollo with the blade of gold—each is a holy day. The eighth and the ninth, two days at least of the waxing month,The month is divided into three periods, the waxing, the mid-month, and the waning, which answer to the phases of the moon. are especially good for the works of man. Also the eleventh and twelfth are both excellent,alike for shearing sheep and for reaping the kindly fruits; but the twelfth is much better than the eleventh, for on it the airy-swinging spider spins its web in full day, and then the Wise One,I.e.the ant gathers her pile. On that day a woman should set up her loom and get forward with her work. Avoid the thirteenth of the waxing month for beginning to sow: yet it is the best day for setting plants. The sixth of the mid-month is very unfavorable for plants, but is good for the birth of males, though unfavorable for a girl either to be born at all or to be married.