294 " Pharoe's Mouse." 



Aspis. .In fight lie .sets up his taile, and 

 about turning his taile to the enemie, and therein 

 latcheth and receiveth all the strokes of the Aspis, 

 and taketh no . harm thereby : and so Jong he 

 maintainieth a defensive battell, untill he espy 

 a time, turning his head a to-side, that he may' 

 catch the Aspis by the throat, and throtle it." 



Topsel). mentions this story, but adds that, in 

 his opinion, " this combate is better expressed by 

 Oppianus. For, saith he, the Ichneumon covereth 

 her body in the sande as it were in a grave, 

 leaving nothing uncovered but her long serpen- 

 tjne taile, and hir eyes, and so expecteth her 

 enemy. When the Aspe espyeth her threatening 

 rage, presently turning about her taile, provoketh 

 the Ichneumon 'to combate, and with an open 

 mouth and lofty head doth enter the list, to her 

 owne perdition. For the Ichneumon being nothing 

 afraid of this great bravado, receiveth the en- 

 counter, and taking the head of the Aspe in his 

 mouth, biteth that off, to prevent the casting out 

 of her poison : afterwards tearing her whole body 

 in [pieces, although gathered together wound in 

 a circle, for the successe of these two combatants, 

 lyeth in the first blow. If the Aspe first bite the 

 Ichneumon, then doth her poison destroy her 

 adversary ; and so on the contrary, if the Ich- 

 neumon first bite the Aspe, then is the Ichneu- 

 mon conqueror, and so for this cause she covereth 

 her body as aforesaid." 



This author further tells us that if an ichneu- 



