66 On Animals depicted on Antique Monuments. 



animals, named Enhydris, were looked upon as sacred by the 

 Egyptians ; and he adds (h'b. iv. p. 9) that they were taken in 

 the marshes, along with the beaver and other aquatic animals. 

 After this authority and that of Montfaucon and the Abbe Bar- 

 thelemy, there can be no doubt the artist who represented these 

 animals wished to depict the otter. 



The second of the Digitigrada to which we shall direct our 

 attention is of much more difficult classification. This terres- 

 trial quadruped obviously belongs to a Digitigrada, characterized 

 by long ears, and a tail not less conspicuously long, characters 

 which perfectly correspond to the dog kind, so that it is very 

 possible it might be referred to an animal of this class. But 

 we should not be surprised if the artist wished to represent 

 the black wolf (Canis lycaon, Linn.) a variety which still 

 inhabits Europe. Near this animal we read the words, K^aroJ^Aes 

 Xie^a-xto^, which is to be translated " Land crocodile." Since 

 this writing does not appear to have been displaced, it con- 

 nects very well with the animal it indicates. According to He- 

 rodotus, land crocodiles exist in Africa ; and are met with in 

 the rivers. These animals were all more than three cubits long, 

 nearly five feet, and their ears were very large. Besides the 

 true water crocodile, which is figured upon the antique, and 

 which has no kind of resemblance to the terrestrial animal which 

 now occupies our attention, is constantly designated by Aristo- 

 tle under the name of Kgoxo5<Aoj Tmctfua* From this we per- 

 ceive that the ancients have delineated very different animals 

 under the common name of KgoxeS(Ao?, adding thereto epithets 

 proper to distinguish them from each other. It is thus that the 

 panther or the leopard has received the denomination of Kgaxo- 

 §(Ao? 7r«§S«<A<5, a name which serves to distinguish it from the red 

 wolf, and from the true crocodile {Lacerta crocodilus, Linn.). 



The terrestrial quadruped which is placed at the uppermost 

 part of the mosaic, and which is pursued by Ethiopian hunts- 

 men, is the civet-cat {Viverra civetta). This animal, according 

 to the ancients, a native of Egypt, still inhabits the hottest parts 

 of Africa. 



The mangouste of Egypt (Pharaoh's rat), so famous under 



" Hist. Anim. lib. ii. cap. 10. Also, De Part. Anim. lib. iv. cap. 2. 



