274 On Animals depicted on Antique Monuments. 



Ab to Panthers and Leopards^ they were more frequently re- 

 presented on antiques than the tiger. They were almost as com- 

 tnon as the lion. Very many of them were brought to Rome. 

 The first that were seen, were exhibited in the Circus by Mar- 

 cus Fulvius, 156 years before the Christian era. This ex- 

 ample was followed by Scipio Nasica and Publius Lentulus. 

 The latter succeeded in collecting sixty-three of these animals. 

 But this number was soon exceeded, first by Pompey, who, as we 

 have already noticed, sent four hundred and ten into the Cir- 

 cus; and afterwards by Augustus, who exhibited three hundred 

 and twelve of these animals to the people. Still later, Gordian 

 succeeded in increasing the number that appeared in the games 

 even to a thousand, although Probus, more than any other of 

 the Roman Emperors, collected a prodigious number of wild 

 beasts for the Circus shows. 



Regarding ihe Elephant, it seems worthy of especial notice^ that 

 the ancients appear to have had more accurate ideas concerning it 

 than our great modern naturalists, including even Buffon and 

 Linnseus. In truth, Aristotle knew the organization of the ele- 

 phant better than BufFon, and what he has written of its history 

 and manners, is also more accurate. Nor is this all ; neither 

 Buffon nor Linnaeus had distinguished the two species of the 

 elephant; which, however, the ancient authors and statuaries were 

 well acquainted with. In the dissertation of Cuper, inserted in the 

 Novus thesaurus antiquitatum Romanorum of Sallengre, may 

 be seen some details as interesting as curious, concerning the 

 games in which the ancients employed the elephant, and con- 

 cerning the two species with which they were acquainted. Cu- 

 per also informs us, that Seleucus Nicator, King of Asia, pos- 

 sessed no fewer than five hundred of the Asiatic elephants ; 

 whilst the Ptolemies, on the other hand, never employed, either 

 in their wars or feasts, any other than the African variety. It 

 would also appear, that it was one of these Ptolemies, probably 

 Ptolemy Philadelphus, who introduced the art of hunting and 

 catching these animals. 



This art speedily arrived at great perfection, for the number 

 which the Emperors and other grandees of Rome soon exhibited, 

 is quite astonishing, especially when we think of the difiiculty 

 there is in catching them. The first that were brought to 



