114 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIV. 



on this point. Thus we find that, though Strabo 

 supposes the Oxyrhinchus to have been worship- 

 ped throughout the country, Plutarch says the 

 Cynopohtes eat this fish ; and the dog, which 

 the geographer considers universally sacred, was 

 in like manner, out of revenge, killed and eaten by 

 the people of Oxyrhinchus. Strabo's words* are, 

 " All the Egyptians venerate the Oxyrhinchus fish. 

 For there are some animals which every Egyptian 

 worships: as for instance, of quadrupeds, three, — 

 the ox, the dog, and the cat ; of birds, the hawk, and 

 Ibis; offish, two, — the Lepidotus, and Oxyrhinchus. 

 Some are adored in particular places : as the sheep, 

 by the Saites and Thebans ; the Latus, a fish of the 

 Nile, by the people of Latopolis ; the wolf, by the 

 Lycopolites ; the Cynocephalus, at Hermopolis ; 

 the Cepus, by the Babylonians who live near 

 Memphis ; . . . . the eagle, by the Thebans ; the 

 lion, at Leontopolis ; the goat, by the Mendesians ; 

 the Mygale, at Athribis ; and others, in different 

 places." The bodies, however, of all animals 

 which were found dead, were removed and buried, 

 as might be reasonably expected, since this re- 

 gulation arose from a sanatory precaution ; and it 

 therefore appears, from the most common kinds, 

 as horses, asses, and others, not being discovered, 

 that the embalming process was confined to certain 

 animals, and rarely extended to those which were 

 not sacred to some Deity. 



In order to enable the reader to distinguish 

 the sacred animals of Egypt, I shall introduce a 



* Strabo, xvii. p. 559. 



