Chapter XL: Appendix: OF

FABULOUS ANIMALS.

OUR OBJECT in the previous pages has been to combine interest with amusement, and to present truth unmixed with fable. Yet considering that some fictitious animals are conventionally recognised in poetry and painting, we have thought it desirable to subjoin an account of them. The Sphinx, the Dragon, the Unicorn, Pegasus, and the Centaur, are so familiar to us, both in sculpture and fable, that some notice of these mythological creations seems indispensable.

PROVIDENCE has ordered, that as the plains of Egypt are not visited by showers, they should be fertilized by the overflowing of the Nile, which takes place annually, a little after the summer solstice. This phenomenon, the source of unfailing fertility in the vales of the Delta up to Memphis, and around the bases of the majestic and venerable pyramids, was of the greatest importance to the people of Misraim, from the far-famed Pharos to the frontiers of Ethiopia. It was therefore their interest to calculate correctly the season, the month, and nearly the hour, when the flood should begin; the more so, as the sudden invasion of the waters was dangerous to the inhabitants of the low lands, the meadows, and the fens, and often destroyed the cottages, and drowned the flocks and the improvident villagers. The star Sirius was remarked to emerge from the blazing halo of the sun about the time of the rising of the Nile; it was a warning, and was accordingly called the Dog-star, as if barking from the heavens to apprise the inhabitants of the valleys of the impending rise of the waters. The Egyptian astronomers, to mark the period, combined the signs of the zodiac answering to the two months during which the overflowing took place. These signs happening to be Leo and Virgo, the mystical fancy of the ancient Egyptians united them in one, and thus formed the figure of the Sphinx, which has the head and breast of a woman, and the body of a lion. This was a great enigma to the Greeks and Phœnicians who travelled to Egypt; they saw the monster, but could not comprehend its meaning. On returning to their respective countries, they invented the fable of the Sphinx offering riddles at the gates of Thebes, and destroying those who could not unravel them; having probably been told by the supercilious sages of that nation, that they who could not guess the meaning of the Sphinx were to forfeit their life in atonement for their ignorance. Long afterwards, the real sense of the symbol was forgotten, and Egypt in her superstition began to worship the emblem, of which innumerable figures still exist in that once flourishing country.

The Sphinx has been introduced in heraldry to adorn the gorgets of those general officers who distinguished themselves against the French on the banks of the Nile; it has also been adopted as an ornament in various decorations; and two specimens, exquisitely wrought, are seen on the front wall of Syon House, at Brentford, the seat of his Grace the Duke of Northumberland.

This chimerical figure is generally represented as sitting and at rest; a graceful attitude adopted by Egyptian sculptors, and imitated by the Greeks and Romans.

THIS fabulous animal, which figures largely in ancient romances, was supposed to be the tutelary genius of fresh-water springs in the bosom of dark forests and enchanted rocks. Dragons were harnessed to the car of Ceres; they were the guardians of the golden apples of the Hesperides, and of the golden fleece of Colchis; and in several parts of the world set as protectors to the carbuncles and other precious stones hidden at the bottom of wells and fountains. They are represented as scaly serpents, with webbed feet, and with wings similar to those of a bat; having been, it seems, originally a hieroglyphic emblem of the dangerous influence of an undue combination of air and water. Thus the serpent Python was the allegory of a pestilence, originating from a union of mephitic air and moisture. They have been long supporters to the arms of the city of London, as if the guardians of the wealth which commerce brings hither from all the parts of the world. Four of them are placed in fanciful attitudes, and beautifully carved, on the pedestal of the monument of London.

THIS fabulous animal somewhat resembles the dragon, only that, instead of four, it has two legs, which are webbed, and armed with claws. There is no doubt that this imaginary being was originally conceived in the brains of the poets and romancers, in times of chivalry, when the Crusaders overran the plains of Palestine and Assyria. The heat of the climate in some vales at the foot of the mountains, which intersect the deserts of those countries, was favourable to the breeding of all sorts of serpents, some of an immense size. The European soldiers of Godfrey and Richard, unaccustomed to such sights, were easily frightened, whenever they met those monsters on the sedgy banks of small lakes, under the shade of cedars and palm-trees, where they appeared as if posted to guard the sacred waters, so precious in so hot a country; and magnified in their idle tales, when inactive in camps, the bulk of the serpent they had seen. The castle of Lusignan, in the province of Poitou, was supposed to contain one of those winged serpents. It is a very ancient armorial bearing, and now stands as supporter to the arms of several illustrious houses.

THE fruitful imagination of man knows hardly any bounds. The animal which bears the name of Basilisk was originally supposed to be a serpent, with a sort of comb or crown on its head: but that was not sufficiently marvellous. It was supposed also to be hatched from a cock’s egg, upon which a snake had performed the office of incubation; and the animal had the head of a cock, and the wings and tail of a dragon. Hatched near a spring of water, the common resort of serpents, it was asserted that, frightened at his own extraordinary shape, he soon precipitated himself to the bottom, whence, by the mortal look from his fiery eyes, he had the power of killing whoever dared to gaze at him. There are no less than four kinds of basilisks mentioned by various authors. One burnt up everything near him, and reduced the place he lived in to a complete desert; another kind had the power of producing a stony rigidity in whoever looked at them, which was followed by death; or the gazers’ flesh fell from their bones. The basilisk was said to be killed by carrying a mirror to its lair; and the creature encountering the reflection of its own baleful glance, was killed with its own weapons.

WAS originally an emblem of life. It was used to adorn funeral monuments and sepulchres. The upper part of this allegorical animal resembles the eagle, the king of the birds, and the rest the lion, the king of beasts; which is said to imply that man, who lives upon the earth, cannot subsist without air. In later times it was supposed that the Gryphon was posted as a jailor at the entrance of enchanted castles and caverns where subterraneous treasures were concealed. Milton compares Satan in his flight to the Gryphon, in the following beautiful passage:

“As when a Gryphon through the wilderness,
With winged course o’er hill or moory dale,
Pursues the Arimaspian, who, by stealth,
Had from his wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold; so eagerly the fiend,
O’er bog or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare,
With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way,
And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies.”

The _Arimaspians_ were Asiatic wizards, who, by magic, used to obtain a knowledge of the places where treasures lay hidden. Their incessant wranglings with the Gryphons about gold-mines are mentioned by Herodotus and Pliny. Lucan says that they inhabited Scythia, and adorned their hair with gold; that they had but one eye in the middle of the forehead, and lived on the banks of the gold-sanded river Arimaspes. Virgil, in his eighth Pastoral, mentions this animal as if really existing, but does not give us any description of it; and Claudian, in his Epistle to Serena, alludes to the supposed fact of their keeping watch over masses of gold in the bosom of northern mountains.

THE PHŒNIX.

HERODOTUS, Pliny, and nearly sixty other classical authors, have related marvellous stories of this bird, all of which are of course fabulous. The Phœnix, they say, inhabits the plains of Arabia, and is about the size of an eagle, with gorgeous plumage of purple and gold. He is the only one of his kind in the world. At the approach of death, he builds himself a nest of aromatic herbs, and on it yields up his life. From his marrow proceeds a worm, which shortly becomes a young Phœnix, whose first duty is to discharge the obsequies of his sire. For this purpose he collects a quantity of myrrh, which he moulds into the shape of an egg, as large as he can conveniently carry, and then scooping it out, he deposits the body of his sire in the inside. Having stopped it up again with myrrh, he carries it to the Temple of the Sun in Egypt, where he devoutly places it on the altar. This is the only time that he is seen during his life, which lasts five hundred years. According to others, after preparing a funeral pile of rich herbs and spices, he burns himself, but from his ashes revives in all the freshness of youth.

From late mythological researches it is conjectured that the Phœnix is a symbol of five hundred years, of which the conclusion was celebrated by a solemn sacrifice, in which the figure of a bird was burnt. His being restored to youth signifies that the new springs from the old.

THE MERMAID, OR SIREN.

THE existence of this animal, half a woman and half a fish, has long been talked of, believed, disbelieved, and doubted. Homer is the first who speaks of such beings, which he styles _Sirens_; but we do not find that he gives any description of their shape; however, it was soon asserted that the Sirens were, as Horace, in his “Art of Poetry,” describes them:

“Above, a lovely maid; a fish below.”

The Sirens were three sisters, whose voice was so delightfully harmonious and enticing, that no resistance could be made against its powerful charms; but “’twas death to hear,” for they led the navigators and their ships to certain destruction among the rocks that bordered the dangerous coasts which they inhabited, near the shores of Italy.

The belief in the existence of Mermaids has been current at different periods; indeed, some years ago, several persons made depositions before a magistrate, that they had seen Mermaids come out of the sea and play on the rocks, but that they sprang into their element before they were able to secure them.

A creature, said to be a dried Mermaid, was exhibited in London about the year 1828; but it was afterwards discovered to be the body of a monkey artfully attached to the dried tail of a salmon.

THE KRAKEN.

THIS creature is another fabulous inhabitant of the sea. It is said to be three or four miles in breadth, and to live generally at the bottom of the sea, on the Norway coast. When it moves the commotion of the sea is so violent that it upsets boats and even small ships; and when it comes to the surface, it is generally mistaken for an island.

THIS is the Dolphin of heraldry, and as fabulous an animal as any here mentioned, as may be seen by comparing it with the figure of the real Dolphin, given with the description in a former part of this work. This fish was said to curl up his back to carry his favourites over the seas without wetting them; and to assume the most brilliant colours in dying, changing from a bright blue to as bright a yellow, and then to red and green, &c. &c.

THIS is another offspring of the lively and fruitful fancy of man. It is represented as a compound of the horse and stag, the head and body belong to the former, and the hoofs to the latter, while the horn, the tufts, and the tail are anomalies. This animal holds a high rank in heraldry, and is one of the supporters of the royal arms of England.

The Unicorn is often mentioned in the Scriptures, and by many commentators is supposed to be the rhinoceros. From the book of Job we learn that it was not only an animal of considerable strength, but also of a very fierce and intractable disposition--“Will the Unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the Unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys for thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?” Ch. xxxix. ver. 9--11. In the book of Psalms, xcii. ver. 10. “My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a Unicorn.”

THE PEGASUS.

ANOTHER liberty has been taken with the horse. Mythology has added wings to its elegant figure, and called it _Pegasus_. This animal, it is said, sprang from the blood of Medusa, when Perseus had cut off her head; and immediately afterwards flew upwards towards heaven, but stopped short, and alighted on Mount Helicon, where he struck the ground with his foot, and instantly the fountain Hippocrene burst from the ground. During his residence on Mount Helicon, Pegasus became a great favourite with the Muses, who resided occasionally on that lofty mountain; and still, when any one attempts extravagant flights of poetry, he is said to have mounted on his Pegasus, as it was difficult to approach the Muses when raised so high. On the contrary, the Castalian fountain on Mount Parnassus was more accessible, and inspired poetry of a gentler nature. But to return to Pegasus; he was at length tamed by Neptune, or Minerva, and lent by the latter to Bellerophon, to enable him to conquer the horrid monster called the Chimera, which was always shifting its place, and vomiting forth flames and smoke. After the victory was achieved, Bellerophon attempted to fly up to heaven; but Pegasus threw his rider, and flying up to heaven without him, was changed into the constellation of stars which still bears his name. Pegasus is sometimes confounded with the Hippogriph, or _Ippogrifo_ of Ariosto, which is often seen in coats of arms.

THE CENTAUR.

LIKE the Sphinx, this creature is a compound of the brute and human form, exhibiting the body of a man united to that of a horse, the former rising from the chest of the latter. Absurd as such a combination must appear to the anatomist, and ill adapted as it seems for agility, it is not wholly devoid of grace, and is very frequently met with in antique sculpture. According to Grecian mythology, these beings inhabited Thessaly; and poetry has celebrated their combats with Hercules, Theseus, and Pirithous, the latter of whom was the leader of the Lapithæ, a people who vanquished the Centaurs. Their fabulous existence had its origin in that love of the marvellous, which is always found to exist in the earlier stages of society. Hence the natives of Thessaly being distinguished for their skill in horsemanship, at a time when their neighbours were unacquainted with the art of riding, they would be described as combining the powers both of the human and the equine race; in the same manner as some of the American tribes, when they first beheld the Spaniards mounted on horses, mistook them for a different race of beings from themselves, supposing them to be half men and half quadrupeds. It is by such errors that fiction, whether poetry or painting be its vehicle, creates those fanciful beings and shapes which delight the imagination.

THE SATYR.

ALTHOUGH the Satyr of the ancient poets can hardly be termed an animal, as the human form predominates, he may be introduced here as our final example of fabulous creatures. Satyrs and Fauns are represented as men with goats’ legs and horns, and were supposed to be the attendants of Bacchus, with whose worship they are generally connected. The idea of such beings was probably derived from some of the larger species of apes. They are described as inhabiting woods and forests, of which they were regarded as the protecting deities. Probably they were partly personifications, intended to express the debasing influence of animal propensities and sensual indulgence: and as nothing tends more than intoxication to reduce man to a level with the brutes, since it deprives reason of all control over the passions, the form of the Satyr may have been ingeniously intended as a visible representation of the degraded state of those who surrender up the noblest prerogative of man. Whether such was really or not the idea of those who first feigned the existence of such creatures, we may very rationally adopt this explanation, and thereby deduce an important moral lesson from what is in itself an extravagant fiction.

INDEX.

A.

Page

Abraxas grossulariata 587

Acelephæ 609

Acarus siro 552

Accipiter nisus 202

Acerina cernua 476

Acheta campestris 570

---- domesticata 570

Acipenser sturio 416

Actinia crassicornis 609

---- mesembryanthemum 609

---- parasitica 609

Adamsia palliata 609

Adder 495

Adjutant 352

Admiral 530

Ageneiosus militaris 432

Ai 107

Alauda arborea 247

---- arvensis 245

Albatross 396

Alca impennis 399

Alcedo ispida 277

Alligator (lucius) 518

Amphisbæna (fuliginosa) 503

Anabas scandens 475

Anaconda 503

Anarrhichas lupus 431

Anas boschas 388

Anchovy 458

Angel fish 426

Angler 438

Anguilla vulgaris 490

Anobium tesselatum 560

Anser ferus 380

Anthea cereus 696

Ants 582

Ant-eater, great 110

Antelope (cervicapra) 149

---- Dorcas 150

---- Gnu 154

---- picta 152

---- Rupicapra 151

---- Virgo 349

Anthropoides virgo 349

Ant-lion 574

Aphis 572

Apteryx (Australis) 344

Aquila chrysaëtos 185

Arctic Fox 39

Arctomys Marmotta 97

Ardea cinerea 354

Argali 147

Argonaut 537

Argyroneta aquatica 550

Arion ater 535

Armadillo 109

Aromia moschata 558

Arvicola amphibia 102

Asp, Egyptian 499

Ass 127

Astacus fluviatilis 543

---- marinus 542

Asterias rubens 595

Astur palumbarius 200

Ateles paniscus 182

Auchenia glama 172

Auk, Great 399

Avicula Margaritifera 525

Axis 163

B.

Babiroussa 122

Babirussa alfurus 122

Baboon 178

----, Cape 179

Badger 53

Balaninus micum 562

Balæna Australis 405

---- mysticetus 401

Balænoptera boops 407

Balearica pavonina 349

Barbary Ape 177

Barbel 482

Basilisk 615

Basse 475

Bat 80

----, Kalong 83 Bat, Long-eared 81

----, Vampyre 82

Bear, American (Black) 45

----, European (Brown) 46

----, Grisly 46

----, Malayan 48

----, Polar 50

Beaver 88

Bees 577

Beetle, Black 563

----, Blind 555

----, Elephant 557

----, Ground 558

----, Musk 558

----, Stag 556

Belone vulgaris 454

Beluga (leucas) 410

Billy Biter 249

Bird of Paradise 279

Bison (Bonasus) 141

----, American 141

Bittern 356

Blackbird 220

Black Cap 231

Black Cock 322

Blatta orientalis 563

Bleak 483

Blepharis (ciliaris) 447

Blue Ox 152

Boa Constrictor 502

Boar, Wild 120

Bombyx mori 589

Boquetin 148

Bos Bonasus 141

---- Indicus 143

---- Taurus 134

Botaurus stellaris 356

Bower-Bird 263

Bradypus tridactylus 107

Brandling 462

Bream 484

Brusodes crassicornis 609

Bubalus Caffer 139

Bubo Maximus 214

Buccinum undatum 531

Budytes flava 237

Bufo vulgaris 507

Buffalo, African 139

Bull 134

----, Brahmin 143

----, Wild 137

Bullfinch 258

Bullhead 486

Bunting, Yellow 249

Bustard 345

Bulteo vulgaris 197

Butcher-bird, Great 217

----, Little 218

Butterfly, Cabbage 586

----, Tortoiseshell 585

Buzzard 197

----, Honey 199

C.

Cachalot 407

Calandra granaria 561

Camel, Arabian 170

----, Bactrian 168

---- of America 172

Camelopardalis Giraffa 164

Camelus Bactrianus 168

---- Dromedarius 170

Canary Bird 254

Cancer pagurus 543

Canis aureus 42

---- familiaris 23

---- lagopus 39

---- lupus 40

---- vulpes 37

Cantharis (vesicatoria) 561

Capercalzie 323

Capra hircus 147

---- ibex 148

Caprimulgus Europæus 244

Carabus clathratus 558

---- violaceus 559

Caracal 20

Carcharias vulgaris 417

---- vulpes 421

Cardium edule 527

Carduelis canaria 254

---- elegans 259

Carp 477

----, Golden 479

Carrion Crow 268

Cassowary 341

Castor Fiber 88

Casuarius galeatus 341

Cat 20

Cavallo-Marino 442

Cavia Cobaya 98

Cayman 518

Cebus Capucinus 182

Centaur 621

Cerambyx moschatus 558

Cerastes Hasselquistii 497

Cercopithecus Diana 180

Certhia familiaris 281, 282

Cervus Alces 160

---- axis 163 Cervus Canadensis 157

---- capreolus 158

---- dama 159

---- Elaphus 155

---- Tarandus 161

Chacura 179

Chaffinch 256

Chama 528

Chamæleo vulgaris 515

Chameleon 515

Chamois 151

Charadrius morinellus 370

---- pluvialis 369

Char 469

Cheese Hopper 552

---- Mite 552

Cheetah 15

Cheimatobia brumata 588

Chelonia imbricata 523

---- midas 521

Chimpanzee 174

Chinchilla lanigera 105

Chough 274

Chub 481

Ciconia alba 350

Cinclus aquaticus 219

Circus cyaneus 213

Civet 54

----, Oriental 56

Clam 528

Clupea alba 458

---- Harengus 455

---- Pilchardus 457

---- Sardina 457

---- Sprattus 456

Coati-Mondi 53

Cobitis barbatula 486

Cobra di Capello 500

Coccinella septem-punctata 562

Coccus cacti 571

Cochineal Insect 571

Cockatoo 303

Cockatrice 615

Cockchafer 554

Cockle 527

Cockroach 563

Cod-fish 448

Coluber natrix 501

Columba ænas 331

---- livia 332

---- palumbus 330

---- Turtur 335

Colymbus glacialis 397

Comatula rosacea 595

Condor 196

Conger vulgaris 492

Coot 376

Coracias garrula 276

Coral, Red 597

----, Stony 600

Cormorant 379

----, Crested 380

Corn Crake 374

---- Weevil 561

Corvus corone 268

---- Corax 265

---- frugilegus 269

---- monedula 271

Cottus scorpius 433

---- gobio 486

Coturnix dactylisonans 318

Couendou 106

Cow 136

Cow Bird 293

Cowry, Money 531

----, Tiger 531

Crab 543

----, Violet land 544

----, Soldier, or hermit 545

Crane 347

----, Balearic 349

----, Gigantic 352

----, Numidian 349

Crangon vulgaris 546

Crayfish 543

Creeper 281, 282

----, Wall 283

Cricket 570

----, Field 570

----, Mole 569

Crocodile of the Nile 517

Crocodilus vulgaris 517

Crossbill 261

Crotalus horridus 498

Cuckoo 290

----, American 293

Cuculus canorus 290

Culex pipiens 592

Curlew 360

Curruca atricapilla 231

Cushat 330

Cuttle-fish 535

Cyclopterus lumpus 436

Cynocephalus 178

---- porcarius 179

Cygnus ferus 384

---- olor 383

Cypræa moneta 531

---- tigris 531

Cyprinus alburnus 483 Cyprinus auratus 479

---- barbus 482

---- brama 484

---- carpio 477

---- cephalus 481

---- gobio 480

---- leuciscus 482

---- phoxinus 485

---- rutilus 483

---- tinca 478

Cypselus apus 243

D.

Dace 482

Dactyloptera Mediterranea 445

Dasypus sexcinctus 109

Day-fly 576

Death-Watch 560

Deer, Fallow 159

----, Musk 163

Delphinus Delphis 408

Demoiselle 349

Dicotyles labiatus 122

Didelphis Virginiana 86

Didus ineptus 328

Diomedea exulans 396

Dipper 219

Dipus Ægyptius 104

Djeggetai 131

Dodo 328

Dog-fishes 420

Dog 23

---- Bloodhound 25

---- Bulldog 30

---- Foxhound 27

---- Greyhound 36

---- Mastiff 29

---- Newfoundland 34

---- Pointer 28

---- Shepherd’s 23

---- Spaniel 32

---- Terrier 31

---- Water Spaniel 33

Dolphin 408

---- of mythology 619

Dor 555

Dorado 410

Dormouse 96

----, American 97

Dottrel 370

Dove, Ring 330

----, Rock 332

----, Stock 331

----, Turtle 335

Draco volans 514

Dragon 613

Dragon-fly, Great 576

Dromaius Novæ Hollandiæ 343

Dromedary 170

Duck 388

----, Eider 389

Duck-billed Platypus 111

Dugong 415

Dynastes elephas 557

E.

Eagle, Black 192

----, Golden 185

----, Sea, or White-tailed 188

----, White-headed or Bald 189

Earwig 563

Echeneis remora 430

Echidna hystrix 112

Echinus miliaris 596

Eel 490

----, Conger, or sea 492

----, Electrical 488

Electric Ray 425

Elephant 113

Elephas Africanus 115

---- Indicus 113

Elk 160

Emberiza citrinella 249

---- hortulana 250

Emeu 343

Empusa gongylodes 564

Engraulis encrasicolus 458

Enhydra Lutris 68

Epeïra diadema 548

Ephemera 576

Equus Asinus 127

---- Burchellii 133

---- caballus 124

---- Hemionus 131

---- Zebra 132

Erinaceus Europæus 74

Ermine 62

Erythacus rubecula 226

Esox lucius 472

Exocætus exiliens 444

---- volitans 443

F.

Falcon 204

----, Peregrine 205

Falco æsalon 208

---- apivorus 199

---- Buteo 197

---- gyrfalco 204

---- Milvus 203 Falco nisus 202

---- palumbarius 200

---- peregrinus 205

---- peregrinator 207

---- tinnunculus 210

Father-Lasher 433

Felis Canadensis 19

---- Caracal 20

---- Catus 22

---- concolor 18

---- domestica 20

---- jubata 15

---- Leo 1

---- Leopardus 12

---- Lynx 19

---- Onca 17

---- Pardalis 15

---- Pardus 13

---- Tigris 9

---- uncia 14

Fern Owl 244

Ferret 60

Fiber Zibethecus 90

Fieldfare 223

Fitchet, or Foumart 61

Flea 594

Flounder 461

Flusher 218

Flying Dragon 514

---- Fish 443

---- Scorpion 435

Forficula auricularia 563

Formica rufa 582

Fowls, Bankiva 326

---- Bantam 327

---- Jago, or Paduan 327

---- Spanish 327

Fox 37

----, Arctic 39

Fratercula arctica 398

Fringilla cœlebs 256

---- canaria 254

---- carduelis 259

---- linaria 253

---- linota 253

Frog 505

----, edible 506

Fulgora laternaria 571

Fulica atra 376

Fulmar 395

G.

Gadus æglefinus 449

---- Merlangus 451

---- merluccius 452

Gadus morrhua 448

Gallinula chloropus 373

Gallus domesticus 324

---- giganteus 327

Gannet 381

Garangan 57

Gar-fish 454

Garrulus glandarius 275

Gastuostius aculiatus 487

Gavial 518

Gazelle 150

Genet 55

Geometra brumata 588

---- grossulariata 587

Geotrupes stercorarius 555

Gerfalcon 204

Giraffe 164

Globe Fish 440

---- Electrical 440

Glowworm 559

Gnat 592

Gnu 154

Goat 147

Goat Chaffer 558

Goatsucker 244

Godwit 362

Gorgonia nobilis 597

Goldfinch 259

Gold-fish 479

Goose, wild 386

Gorilla 176

Goshawk 200

Grampus 413

Grand Promerooks 289

Grasshopper 566

Grayling 470

Great Northern Diver 397

Green Fly 572

Griffin, or Gryphon 616

Grisly Bear 46

Grouse, red 320

----, white 321

Grus cinerca 347

Gryllotalpa vulgaris 569

Gudgeon 480

Guinea Fowl 308

Guinea-pig 98

Gull 392

Gurnard 444

----, Flying 445

----, Grey 445

Gymnotus electricus 488

H.

Haddock 449 Hag-fish 428

Haje 499

Hake 452

Halcyon 277

Haliaëtus albicilla 188

---- leucocephalus 189

Halicore Dugong 415

Hare 91

Harfang 215

Hawk, Fishing 191

Hedgehog 74

----, Australian 112

Helix aspersa 533

Hen Harrier 213

Heron 354

Herpestes, griseus 57

---- Ichneumon 56

---- Javonicus 57

Herring 455

Hippocampus brevirostris 442

Hippopotamus amphibius 116

Hirundo rustica 238

---- urbica 241

Hog, domestic 118

Honey-Buzzard 199

Hooded serpent 500

Hoopoe 288

Horned Silure 432

---- Viper 497

Horse 124

House-fly 592

Humming-bird 287

Hyæna, striped (Striata) 43

----, spotted (Crocuta) 44

Hydras 606

Hydroida 604

Hystrix cristata 106

---- prehensilis 106

I.

Ibex 148

Ibis falcinellus 360

---- religiosa 359

---- rubra 360

Ichneumon Fly 580

Ichneumon, or Egyptian Mangouste 56

Iguana tuberculata 513

Inuus sylvanus 177

J.

Jacchus Rosalia 183

---- vulgaris 183

Jackal 42

Jackdaw 271

Jaguar 17

Jay 275

Jelly Fishes 609

Jerboa 104

John Dory 446

Jungle Fowl 310

K.

Kangaroo 84

Kestrel 210

Kiang 131

King-fish 447

Kingfisher 277

Kite 203

Kivi-Kivi 344

Knot 367

Kraken 618

L.

Labrax lupus 475

Lacerta viridis 512

---- vivipara 512

Lady Bird, or Lady Cow 562

Lagopus Scoticus 320

---- vulgaris 321

Lamantin 415

Lamprey 427

Lampris guttatus 447

Lampyris noctiluca 559

Land Rail 374

Lanius collurio 218

---- excubitor 217

Lantern-Fly 571

Lapwing 371

Laruscanus 392

Leaf Mantis 564

----, Walking 565

Leech 540

Leipoa ocellata 312

Lemming 103

Lemur albifrons 184

---- macaco 184

Leopard 12

----, hunting 15

Lepadogaster cornubicus 437

Leptoptilus argala 352

---- marabou 353

Lepus cuniculus 93

---- timidus 91

Libellula grandis 576

Limax cinereus 534

Limosa ægocephala 362

Limpet 532 Ling 451

Linnet 253

Linota cannabina 253

Lion 1

Lioness and Cubs 7

Littornia littorea 532

Lizard 512

----, Flying and Green 514

Llama 172

Loach 486

Lobster 542

Locust 567

Locusta migratoria 567

---- flavipes 566

Lophius piscatorius 438

Lota molva 451

Loxia curvirostra 261

---- pyrrhula 258

Lucanus cervus 556

Lucerna 445

Luidia fragilissima 595

Lump-sucker 436

Lutra 68

---- vulgaris 66

Lycosa tarantula 550

Lynx, common 19

Lyre-Bird of Australia 284

---- N. S. Wales 287

M.

Macaw 300

----, Scarlet 301

Machetes pugnax 363

Mackerel 453

Macrocercus aracanga 300

---- Macao 301

Macropus giganteus 84

Magot 177

Magpie 272, 587

Maid 422, 424

Manatee 415

Manatus Australis 415

Mandrill 179

Mangouste, Egyptian 56

Mantis, Leaf 564

Mareca Penelope 390

Marikina Monkey 183

Marmot 97

Marmozet 183

Marten, Common or Beech 65

----, Pine or yellow-breasted 66

Martes foina 65

---- Zibellina 64

Martin 241

----, Black 243

Mavis 222

Medusa amita 609

Megapodius tumulus 310

Meleagris Gallo-Pavo 306

Meles Taxus 53

Melolontha vulgaris 554

Melopsittacus undulatus 302

Menura Alberti 287

---- superba 284

Mephitis Americana 63

Merlangus vulgaris 451

Merle 222

Merlin 208

Mermaid 617

Miller’s Thumb 486

Milvus regalis 203

Minnow 485

Missel-Thrush 221

Mite, Cheese 552

----, Water 550

Mocking-bird 225

Mole 76

----, Cricket 569

----, Water 111

Mongoos 184

Monkey, Capuchin 182

----, Diana 180

----, Oustiti 183

----, Marikina 183

----, Proboscis 180

----, Spider 182

Monk-fish 426

Monodon monoceros 414

Moongus 57

Moor Cock 320

---- Hen, or Coot 373

Morunga proboscidea 71

Morse 72

Moschus moschiferus 163

Motacilla boarula 236

Moth, Clothes 590

----, Emperor 583

----, Magpie, or Currant 587

----, Winter 588

Mother Cary’s Chicken 393

Mound-Bird of Australia 310

Mouse 99

----, Field 99

----, Harvest 100

Mule 130

Murex haustellus, or cornutus 532

Musca domestica 592

Mus decumanus 100

---- messorius 100 Mus musculus 99

---- sylvaticus 99

Musk Rat 90

Mussel 530

Mustela Abietum 66

---- Americana 63

---- erminea 62

---- furo 60

---- leucopus 65

---- martes 65

---- putorius 61

---- vulgaris 58

---- Zibellina 64

Myodes Lemmus 103

Myoxus avellanarius 96

Myrmecophaga jubata 110

Myrmeleon formicarium 574

Mytilus edulis 530

Myxine glutinosa 428

N.

Nagao 500

Naja Haje 499

---- tripudians 500

Narwhal 414

Nasalis larvatus 180

Nasua narica 53

Naucrates ductor 429

Nautilus, Paper 537

----, Pearly 538

----, Pompilius 538

Newt 510

----, Great 511

Nightingale 228

Night-jar 244

Numenius arquatus 360

Numida Meleagris 308

Nuthatch, or Nutjobber 281

Nyl Ghau 152

O.

Ocelot 15

Octopus vulgaris 537

Ondatra 90

Opah 447

Opossum, Virginian 86

Ornithorhynchus paradoxus 111

Orthagoriscus mola 441

Ortolan 250

----, English 251

Ortygometra crex 374

Ortyx Californicus 319

---- Virginianus 319

Oryctes rhinoceros 557

Osmerus eperlanus 471

Osprey 191

Ostracion quadricornis 439

Ostrea edulis 526

Ostrich 337

----, American 340

Otis tarda 345

Otter 66

----, Sea 68

Ounce 14

Ouistiti Monkey 183

Ourang Outan 173

Ouzel, Ring 224

----, Water 219

Ovis Aries 144

Owl, Brown 217

----, Great Snowy 215

----, Horned 214

----, White, Barn, or Screech 216

Oyster, Pearl 525

----, Common 526

P.

Pagurus Bempardus 545

Palæornis Alexandri 301

Palæmon serratus 546

Pandion haliaëtus 191

Panther 13

Par 462

Paradisea apoda 279

Paroquet, Ground 302

----, Ring 301

----, Warbling Grass 302

Partridge, common 316

----, Red-legged 315

Parrot, Green 300

----, Grey 298

Parus cæruleus 248

---- caudatus 248

Passer domesticus 252

Patella 532

Pavo cristatus 304

Peacock 304

Peccary 122

Peewit 371

Pegasus 620

Pelicanus onocrotalus 377

Pelican 377

Penguin 400

Perca fluviatilis 474

Perch 474

----, Climbing 475

----, Sea 475

Perdix cinerea 316

---- rufus 315 Pearled Hen 308

Periwinkle 532

Pernis apivorus 199

Petrel, Stormy 393

Petromyzon marinus 427

Phalacrocorax carbo 379

---- graculus 380

Phalanger 87

Phalangista vulpina 87

Pharaoh’s Rat 56

Phasianus colchicus 313

---- Nycthemerus 314

---- pictus 314

Phœnix 617

Pheasant 313

----, Australian 312

----, Gold 314

----, Silver 314

Philomela luscinia 228

Phoca vitulina 69

Phocæna orca 413

---- vulgaris 412

Pholas dactylus 528

Phyllium siccifolium 565

Phyllostoma spectrum 82

Physeter macrocephalus 407

Pica caudata 272

Picus viridis 294

Pieris Brassicæ 586

Pigeon, carrier 333

----, wood 330

Pike 472

Pilchard 457

Pilot Fish 429

Pimpla persuasoria 580

Pintado 308

Piophila casei 552

Pipa Americana 509

Pipistrelle 81

Plaice 460

Plant Louse 572

Platalea Ajaja 359

---- leucorodia 358

Platessa flesus 461

---- vulgaris 460

Platypus, duck-billed 111

Plecotus auritus 81

Plover, golden 369

----, grey 368

Plyctolophus galeritus 303

Polar, or White Bear 50

Polecat 61

Polypi 604

Pontia Brassicæ 586

Pool Snipe 361

Pope 476

Porcelain shells 531

Porcupine 106

Porpoise 412

Poulpe 537

Praying insects 563

Prawn 546

Procellaria glacialis 395

Procyon lotor 51

Promerooks, Grand 289

Psittacus Amazonicus 300

---- aracanga 300

---- erythacus 298

Ptarmigan 321

Pteromys volucella 95

Pteropus edulis 83

Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus 263

Puffin 398

Pulex irritans 594

Puma 18

Pyrrhcorax graculus 274

Python 503

Q.

Quagga 133

Quail 318

----, American 319

----, Californian 319

----, Chinese 319

Querquedula crecca 391

R.

Rabbit, wild 93

----, domestic 94

Racoon 51

Raia batis 422

---- clavata 424

Ram 146

----, Wallachian 146

Rana temporaria 505

Rangifer Tarandus 161

Rat 100

----, Alpine 97

----, Musk 90

----, Water 102

Rattle Snake 498

Raven 265

Red Game 320

Redpole 253

Redshank 361

Redwing 222

Reeve 364

Regulus cristatus 235 Rein-Deer 161

Remora 430

Rhamphastos tucanus 297

Rhea Americana 340

Rhinoceros unicornis 117

Rhombus maximus 459

Ring Dove 330

---- Ouzel 224

---- Paroquet 301

River Fox 477

---- Horse 116

Roach 483

Robin, or Redbreast 226

Rockdove 332

Roebuck 158

Roller 276

Rook 269

Rorqual 407

Ruff and Reeve 363

Ruffe 476

S.

Sable 64

----, American 65

Salmon 463

----, Pink 462

Salmo fario 466

---- salar 463

---- salvelinus 469

---- thymallus 470

---- Trutta 465

Sanguisuga officinalis 540

Sarcorhamphus papa 195

Sardine 457

Satin Bower Bird 263

Satyr 621

Saw Fish 427

Saxicola ænanthe 250

---- rubetra 250

Scarabeus elephas 557

Sciurus vulgaris 95

Scolopax gallinago 365

---- rusticola 366

Scomber Scomber 453

Seal 69

Sea Anemones 607

----, Cloak 609

----, Mesembryanthemum 609

----, Parasitic 609

----, Sea Cereus 609

----, Thick-horned 609

Sea-Bat 431

Sea-Cow 72, 415

Sea-Elephant 71

Sea-Horse 442

Sea-Nettles 609

Sea-Owl 436

Sea-Parrot 398

Sea-Unicorn 414

Sea-Urchin 596

Sea-Wolf 431

Secretary Bird 211

Selachus maximus 420

Sepia officinalis 535

Serpentarius reptilivorus 211

Serpents 493

Shag 380

Shaheen 207

Shark 417

----, Fox 421

----, Greenland, or Basking 420

----, Hammer-headed 421

Sheep 144

----, Wild, of Asia 147

Ship Worm 529

Shrew 78

----, Water 79

Shrike 217

Shrimp 546

Silkworm 589

Silurus militaris 432

Simia satyrus 173

---- troglodytes 174

Siren 617

Sitta Europæa 281

Skate 422

Skegger 462

Skunk 63

Skylark 245

Sleeper 96

Sloth 107

Slug, small grey 534

----, black 535

Smelt 471

Snail, Garden 533

Snake, Common 501

Snipe 365

Snipe-shell 532

Solan Goose 381

Solaster papposa 595

Sole 461

Solea vulgaris 461

Solitaire 329

Sorex araneus 78

---- fodiens 79

Sornateria mollissima 389

Spanish Fly 561

Sparling 471

Sparrow 252 Sparrowhawk 202

Speniscus demersus 400

Sphargis coriacea 524

Sphinx 611

Spider-catcher 283

Spider, Diving 550

----, Garden 548

----, House 549

Sponge 603

Spoonbill 358

----, American or Roseate 359

Sprat 456

Squalus carcharias 417

Squatarola cinerea 368

Squatina Angelus 426

Squirrel 95

----, Flying 95

----, Ground 97

Stag 155

Stare 262

Star-fish 595

Starling 262

Stickleback 487

Stoat 62

Stockdove 331

Stork 350

St. Peter’s Fish 449

Strix flammea 216

Struthio camelus 337

Sturgeon 416

Sturnus vulgaris 262

Sucker, ocellated 437

Sucking-fish 430

Sula bassana 381

Sun-fish 441

Surnia nyctea 215

Sus scrofa 118, 120

Swallow 238

----, Window 241

Swan 383, 384

Swift 243

Sword-fish 433

Sylvia trochilus 233

Synetheres prehensilis 106

Syrnium aluco 217

T.

Talegalla Lathami 312

Talpa Europea 76

Tapir, American 123

----, Malayan 123

Tarantula 550

Teal 391

Tegenaria domestica 549

Tench 478

Teredo navalis 529

Testudo Græca 520

Tetrao tetrix 322

---- urogallus 323

Tetraodon hispidus 440

---- lineatus 440

Thalassidroma pelagica 393

Thornback 424

Thresher 421

Thrush, Song, or Throstle 221

----, Missel 221

Tichodroma muraria 283

Tiger 9

Tiger Cat 15

Tiger Wolf 44

Tinea pellionella 590

Titmouse 248

Tit, Long-tailed 248

Toad 507

----, Surinam 509

Tomtit 248

Torpedo vulgaris 425

Tortoise, Common, or Greek 520

Totanus calidris 361

Toucan 297

Trichechus Rosmarus 72

Trigla cuculus 444

---- gurnudus 445

Tringa Canutus 367

Tristis antiquorum 427

Triton aquaticus 510

---- palustris 511

Trochilus colubris 287

Troglodytes gorilla 176

---- niger 174

---- vulgaris 232

Trout 466

----, Alpine 469

----, Salmon, Bull, or Sea 465

----, Silvery 467

Trunk-fish 439

Turbot 459

Turdus iliacus 222

---- Merula 220

---- musicus 221

---- pilaris 223

---- polyglottus 225

---- torquatus 224

---- viscivorus 221

Turkey 306

----, Brush 312

Turtle, Green 521

----, Hawk’s-bill 523

----, Leathery 524

U.

Unau 108

Unicorn 619

Upupa epops 288

---- superba 289

Uraster rubens 595

Ursus Americanus 45

---- Arctos 46

---- ferox 46

---- Malayanus 48

---- maritimus 50

V.

Vampire Bat 81

Vanellus cristatus 371

Vanessa urticæ 585

Vespa vulgaris 579

Vespertilio auritus 81

---- noctula 80

---- pipistrellus 81

Vipera berus 495

---- cerastes 495

Viper 495

----, Horned 497

Viverra Civetta 54

---- Genetta 55

---- Zibetha 56

Vulture 194

---- King 195

Vultur gryphus 196

---- monachus 194

---- papa 195

W.

Wagtail, Grey 236

----, Pied 237

----, Yellow Shepherdess 237

Walking Leaf 565

Wall Creeper 283

Walrus 72

Wapiti 157

Wasp 578

Water Hen 373

---- Mites 550

---- Ouzel 219

Weasel 58

Weevil, Corn 561

----, Nut 562

Whale, Fin-backed 407

----, Greenland 401

----, Spermaceti 407

----, White 410

Wheat-ear 250

Whelk 331

Whinchat 250

Whitebait 458

White-headed Eagle 189

Whiting 451

Widgeon 390

Window Swallow 241

Winter Moth 588

Wivern, or Wolverine 614

Wolf 40

Woodcock 366

Woodlark 247

Woodpecker 294

Wolf-Dog 37

Worm, Earth 539

Wren 232

----, Golden-crested 235

----, Willow 233

Wryneck 296

X.

Xiphias gladius 433

Y.

Yellowhammer, or Yellow Bunting 249

Yellow Shepherdess 237

Yunx torquilla 296

Z.

Zebra 132

----, Burchell’s 133

Zebu, or Brahmin Bull 143

Zeus faber 446

Zygæna malleus 421

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

Les Infusories homogenes=> Les Infusories homogènes {pg xxii}

that althongh immense numbers=> that although immense numbers {pg 45}

the inhabitants of those pesert places=> the inhabitants of those desert places {pg 168}

his Select Fable givess=> his Select Fable gives {pg 270}

which act as alteratives=> which act as alternatives {pg 467}