THE SACRED IBIS. 375 



high authorities, to attribute their respect for it to ano- 

 ther cause, namely, a fancied resemblance to the moon, 

 whether from the curved and crescent shape of its beak 

 or from the contrasted colours of black and white, 

 which, in the opinion of an ancient writer* on the sub- 

 ject, made it appear as if marked with a crescent. Now 

 the moon, as well as the sun, was a known object of wor- 

 ship amongst many of the heathen nations, and more 

 especially the Egyptians. Thus Job alludes to it, when 

 he says, If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon 

 walking in brightness, and my heart hath been secretly en- 

 ticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand; this also were an 

 iniquity to be punished. Job xxxi. 26, &c. The reason 

 why the Egyptians more particularly venerated the moon, 

 was, because they considered it, in its crescent form, as 

 bearing some resemblance to the boat, or ark, in which 

 Noah was preserved in the Flood, and in their language, 

 accordingly, they used the same terms for the moon and 

 the ark. 



Looking upon the Ibis, therefore, as a type or emblem 

 of the moon, and again associating its appearance on the 

 banks of the river Nile, at a season reminding them of 

 the approach of those abundant crops produced by the 

 inundations of their sacred river, we can easily see the 

 reason why the priests of the country held it up to the 

 ignorant people as a bird sent from Heaven, and there- 

 fore to be worshipped in life, and honoured in death. 



* Plutarcli cle Iside et Osiricle. 



