232 NATURE STUDY. 



meat, and having satisfied its hunger takes a three days' 

 sleep. On the third day, it awakens and going to the en- 

 trance of its den, utters a loud wail, with which an odor 

 issues ; the animals hearing the cry and following the odor 

 gather near the den. The author leaves the impression 

 that the panther then takes his choice from among its 

 charmed victims, and tells us that a terrible fate is inflict- 

 ed on the dragon, who, as soon as it hears the wail and 

 smells the odor, falls down and commits self-destruction 

 by tearing out its viscera with its tail. 



For the benefit of those who never saw a dragon, our 

 author says it was reptilian in form, " ci owned with a 

 crest " and winged, had two feet, an ample supply of teeth 

 and a tail which served as a weapon of offence and de- 

 fence. "And there is a moral to this," says de Thaun, 

 quoting from the theologians of the day : " Tail means end, 

 dragon symbolizes the devil, and the swishing of its tail 

 means that the devil will bring to a miserable and untime- 

 ly end all those who do not abandon their evil ways." 

 Similar lessons are drawn from the habits and characteris- 

 tics of each animal described. 



The stag — this is the European red deer — is fond of 

 snake-hunting. It seeks a hole where the snake is con- 

 fined, blows water, from its mouth, into the hole until the 

 snake is flooded out, and then cuts the reptile to death 

 with its hoofs. You have heard the story, or read it in 

 some of the books, about the stag's American cousin, the 

 western deer, springing into the air, massing its four feet 

 and then falling onto the reptile, crushing and cutting it 

 to pieces. L,et this be classed with de Thaun's wonderful 

 revelations, or at least taken with some allowance. 



Bear this in mind, and as you pass along in your nature 

 study see if your observation don't bear out the statement 

 that animals only destroy other animals for food or in de- 



