THE SACRED IBIS. 347 



The Sacred Ibis. 



beak, or from the contrasted colours of black and white, 

 which, in the opinion of an ancient writer* 1 on the subject, 

 made it appear as if marked with a crescent. Now the 

 moon, as well as the sun, was a known object of worship 

 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 skined, or the moon walking in 

 brightness, and my heart hath been secretly enticed, 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 



* PLUTARCH, de Iside et Osiride. 



