146 BOMBAY NATURAL HTSTORY SOCIETY. 



abode and nourished it with drops of blood from other young animals 

 that it killed. The child was nourished by the bird till it grew up 

 to be a boy, and was taken away by the father, who was always 

 labouring under the stings of conscience for his cruelty towards 

 the child. 



Firdousi thus describes the interview between the child and the 

 ferocious bird : — 



" Chu Simorg ra bache shud gursne, 

 Beparvaz bar shud buland az bane 

 Bebordash daman ta be Elbourz kuh 

 Ke budash dar anja kanam-i-garuh 

 Suye bachegan bord ta beshkarand 

 Bedan nale-i-zar-i-u benegarand 

 Bebakhshud Yazdan-i-niki dehash 

 Yaki budani dasht andar bavesh 

 Khodavand meheri be simorg dad 

 Nekard u bekliurdan as an bache yad 

 Negeh kard Simorg ba bachegan 

 Bar an khurd khun az du dideh chegan 

 Shesfaft in he bar-u fekand and meher 

 Bemandand khireh badan khubcheher 

 Shekari ke nazuktaranbar guzid 

 Ke bishir mehman hami khun mazid, " 

 i. e., "When the young ones of the Simorg got hungry, the 

 bird went flying from its nest into the air. It carried it (i.e., the 

 child) rapidly to the Elburz mountain, where there was the nest of 

 its family. It carried it to its young ones, so that they may devour 

 it, and see the excessive weeping of the child. God the bestower 

 of goodness favoured the child, because there was a long life in 

 store for it. God gave tenderness of heart to the Simorg and 

 therefore it did not think of devouring the child. Simorg and 

 its young ones looked to the child which was shedding tears from 

 both its eyes. It was marvellous that they showed kindness to the 

 child, and were struck with astonishment at the good-featured child. 

 It (Simorg) selected for the child, delicate and young animals so 

 that the host may taste their blood instead of: milk." 



Again, the Greek writers also speak of a Persian prince Achas- 

 mines being nourished by an eagle. So was Zanymedes, a beanti" 



iul boy of Phrygia, nourished bv an eagle. 



Semiramis, the founder of the Assyrian empire of Ninevah, was 



