On Animals depicted on jintique Monuments. 67 



the name of ichneumon, is represented in the mosaic of Pales- 

 trina. It is found placed under two camelopards. It is fi- 

 gured upside down, probably on account of the displacement of 

 the fragment on which it was designed. This variety ought, 

 as it appears to us, to be referred to the Viverra ichneumon of 

 Linnaeus. 



We shall next mention the hyena, which, with a lion, may 

 be seen at the superior extremity, and towards the left of the 

 mosaic. Near these two animals is written the word eauvrigy or 

 <^axvTig, and not Ciityri , as it is printed in the engraving oi' 1721. 

 " One might believe," says the Abbe Barthelemy, that these 

 animals represent a kind of wolf-lynx ;" but this conjecture is 

 contradicted by the form of the name and by the figure of the 

 animals, which rather represent, the one to the left a hyena, 

 and the one to the right a lion. Besides, we must not forget, 

 as we have before remarked, that the animals beneath which we 

 now read the word ©»«vts5, at a previous period formed the 

 same group with the animal called HovoKivTecv^tic, which is now 

 found at the opposite side. From this it happens, that the 

 word QaxiiTii having been displaced, it can teach us nothing con- 

 cerning the true names of the animals, which according to their 

 form have the greatest resembance to the hyena and the lion, to 

 which we have referred them. 



Underneath, and to the right of the two camelopards, is to 

 be seen a lionness and her cub, under which is written the word 

 Mcctvx. There can be no doubt as to the animal to which this 

 appellation refers, and all commentators are agreed upon the 

 point. 



On the right of the mosaic, and near to the siieep, are to be 

 seen two great carnivorous animals, near to which is written 

 the word Tiyg*?, a name which would express the tiger. The 

 Abbe Barthelemy has found no difficulty about it, and has re- 

 garded these animals as truly tigers. We do not, however, see 

 how we can adopt this opinion, for these mammalia do not pre- 

 sent upon their skin regular black bands, but spots of the same 

 shade, disposed in the most irregular manner. No more can 

 these animals be regarded as the panther or the leopard, which 

 have no bands, more than the tiger, but only spots. 



There is another carnivorous animal,of the tribe Felis, which 



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