J^2 On Animals depicted 07i Antique Monuments. 



Aristotle and by iElian as being found in Egypt and Lybia, 

 and which, till very recent times, has not been found in either 

 of these countries. In fact, this mouse had not been met 

 any where till the time of the French expedition into Egypt ; 

 and we may almost say that this expedition has fully con- 

 firmed the account of Aristotle, and proved that the ancients 

 were very careful never to advance any thing without being sure 

 of its truth. So has it been with the boar with the two tusks, 

 or the Babiroussa, of which ^Elian has spoken so largely in de- 

 tail : it was not discovered in any of the most distant countries 

 of India till after the revival of letters ; and previous to that 

 titae it was regarded as wholly chimerical and fabulous. 



Finally, among the Rodentia, which were well known to the 

 ancients, we have still to name the grei/ dormouse^ which was 

 highly esteemed among the Romans. This animal was with 

 them an object of particular care ; and they fed it with much 

 attention, that it might be presented at the tables of the great. 

 It is well known how far the Romans carried this sort of luxury. 

 It was for its indulgence that, after the introduction of the parks 

 we have above alluded to, Lucius Strabo introduced aviaries, 

 and Lucinius Murena fish-ponds. In their grand repasts, such 

 was their sensuality, that they had dishes of the brains of os- 

 triches, the tongues of the flamingo, the grouse of Phrygia, the 

 cranes of Milos, and the pheasants of Colchis. Hence too it 

 was that the gourmand Hortensius constructed fish-ponds of 

 salt water, in which he fattened the most delicate fish, such as 

 soles, whitings, lampreys, gold and silver fishes fDorades), and 

 the shell-fish of the ocean. Other ponds intended for trouts, 

 pike, and salmon, were supplied with fresh water. 



The luxury and ingenuity of this kind which was exercised 

 by the ancients is great indeed ; and excites our astonishment 

 at the number of fish they were accustomed to feed in their fish- 

 ponds. The quantity was so great that, according to Pliny, 

 Caesar borrowed from Irrius no fewer than six thousand lam- 

 preys for a feast which he gave to the Roman people. The 

 number which Irrius lent to Caesar was, according to Varro, not 

 so great as that specified by Pliny, but by the smallest calcula- 

 tion it would amount to two thousand. Even this number is so 

 prodigious, that it enables us to form an estimate of the height 



