THE LARGEST LIVING CREATURES 



Three hundred years ago the question, what are the largest 

 creatures in the world? was very quickly answered. In those 

 days the largest animal on the land was well known to be the 

 dragon, while the largest animal in the sea was equally well 

 known to be a sort of marine dragon called a sea-serpent. 



With the improvement in the implements used in fighting 

 and in hunting game the fear of the larger creatures on the 

 land declined and people gradually came to know them in 

 their true proportions. 



Most dragons can be traced to three sorts of huge reptiles 

 which have been variously supplied with wings and other 

 features by an unrestricted use of the imagination stimulated 

 by intense fear. 



In southern Europe and in northern Africa the local dragons 

 were enormous snakes of which the people stood in mortal 

 terror. These have now been quite extinct for many centuries. 

 In other regions, too, as in western China, large snakes, alone 

 or embellished with features taken from other animals, formed 

 the basis for the local dragons. 



The eastern Chinese dragon was based wholly or mainly 

 upon the Chinese aUigator which in former times was common 

 in many Chinese rivers, though now it is confined to the lower 

 portion of the Yang-tse where it is not common and never 

 reaches a large size. Outside of China alligators are found 

 only in the southern United States. 



In parts of the East Indies the local dragon was in part a 

 huge ground lizard called a monitor, much feared by the natives 

 in some islands, and apparently in part a giant snake. 



We shall not consider dragons further. It is enough to say 

 that on analysis they all resolve themselves into these three 



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