It has been a question with some whether Frontinus and other Roman engineers were acquainted with the fact that a flaring or outward ajutage would increase the flow or discharge through the orifice. The evidence seems insufficient to establish completely that degree of knowledge on their part. At the same time, in the CXII chapter of Frontinus’ book on the “Water-supply of the City of Rome,” he states that in some cases pipes of greater diameter than that of the orifice were improperly attached to legal ajutages. He then states: “As a consequence the water, not being held together for the lawful distance, and being on the contrary forced through the short restricted distance, easily filled the adjoining larger pipe.” He was convinced that the use of a pipe with increased diameter under such circumstances would give the user of the water a larger supply than that to which he was entitled, and he was certainly right in at least most cases. The actual unit orifice through which the unit volume of water called the quinaria was discharged was usually of bronze stamped by a proper official, thus making its use legal for a given amount of water. The Roman engineers understood that such an orifice should be inserted accurately at right angles to the side of the vessel or orifice, and that was the only legal way to make the insertion. Furthermore, the law required that there should be no change in the diameter of the pipe within 50 feet of the orifice. It was well known that a flaring pipe of increased diameter applied immediately at the orifice would largely increase the discharge, and unscrupulous people resorted to that means for increasing the amount of water to be obtained for a given price. =42. The Stealing of Water.=—It appears also that Frontinus experienced much trouble from clandestine abstraction of water from reservoirs and water-pipes. The administration of the water commissioner’s office had been exceedingly corrupt prior to his induction into office, and some of his most troublesome official work arose from his efforts to detect water-thieves, and to guard the supply system from being tapped irregularly or illegally. We occasionally hear of similar instances of water-stealing at the present time, which shows that human nature has not altogether changed since the time of Frontinus.