Histories

They gather frankincense by burning that storax[*](A kind of gum, producing an acrid smoke when burnt, and therefore used as a disinfectant.) which Phoenicians carry to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas; they burn this and so get the frankincense; for the spice-bearing trees are guarded by small winged snakes of varied color, many around each tree; these are the snakes that attack Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt. Nothing except the smoke of storax will drive them away from the trees.

The Arabians also say that the whole country would be full of these snakes if the same thing did not occur among them that I believe occurs among vipers.