FABUIyOUS BIRDS 



to be a huge bird, with the body and limbs of the 

 lion, capable of carrying off a horse or an elephant. 



Sinbad the Sailor's Roc was probably of this 

 species. The Phoenix, too, was plainly believed 

 to be a real bird, with the power of rising from 

 its own ashes when burnt, a quality which com- 

 mends it to insurance companies. Pliny de- 

 scribes it as " by report as big as an eagle, in 

 colour yellow, and bright as gold." 

 ;i. !lt has been suggested that the fable of the bird 

 rising from its own ashes may have arisen from 

 the fact that vultures in the East are known to 

 descend upon bodies being cremated and rise 

 again through the dense smoke. 



A mythical bird less familiar than the Phoenix 

 was known as the I/iver and is said to have re- 

 sembled the heron. It is stated that the name 

 of the city of lyiverpool was derived from this 

 bird. The Harpy was a prominent figure in 

 Grecian m5rthology. It was a combination of 

 a woman and a vulture, and the name is incor- 

 porated in the English language to-day as sym- 

 bolising rapacity, usually feminine. 



165 



