70 On Animals depicted on Antique Monuments. 



nated this boar, was the river-boar; whilst, according to the 

 other, it simply signifies the pig-monkey, " owing, perhaps,"" 

 he observes, " to the figure partaking of the nature of both 

 these animals." But this animal has nothing of the monkey in 

 it ; it is wholly of the boar kind, and consequently has no rela- 

 tion to the species of which Aristotle speaks, and of which the 

 head resembles that of the chameleon (lib. ii. c. 2). Barthelemy, 

 also, has himself remarked that he has not been able to perceive 

 this last i-esemblance as corresponding to the figure. This last 

 species is characterized by a pointed and very long snout, by a 

 heavy and thick body ; it is low in its limbs, with a short tail, 

 but little coiled upon itself, and especially, it has tusks which 

 do not protrude from its mouth. These characters do not ap- 

 pear to agree with those of any of our present races of the boar, 

 and therefore it possibly may belong to some lost race of this 

 genus, or of some other analogous to it. 



The mosaic supplies us with another Pachyderma, near to 

 which is written the word E(^(t, a name which is unknown to 

 Barthelemy as much as the animal it is intended to represent. 

 According to Montfaucon, on the other hand, the animals 

 named " Xithit," were very common in Egypt ; and, according 

 to him, it was the same as the rhinoceros, denominated by the 

 Ethiopians Ara or Harisi ; so at least says Con)as the Egyptian. 

 If this animal ever existed, there can be no doubt it is de- 

 stroyed ; for now we ai-e not acquainted with any Pachyderma 

 with teeth that are pointed, long, and sharp. This species 

 would even constitute a new and distinct genus, if all is true re- 

 specting the several particulars represented. It should be add- 

 ed, that the existence of this animal seems so much the less 

 doubtful, inasmuch as Kircher, in describing the mosaic of 

 Palestrina, observes that the animal named s.i6n is a boar which 

 is famous in Egypt, because it is only found in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the town of x»fl<v. From this we may readily judge 

 how easily this specie?, so circumscribed in its abode, might be- 

 come extinct.* 



* Latium, id est, Nova et parallela Latii, turn veteris, turn Novi, de- 

 scriptio. Amsteldami, 1681, p. 100. 



