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CURIOUS CREATURES. 



as applied to beasts, this treatment is very ancient, vide 

 the winged bulls of Assyria, and the classical Pegasus, or 

 winged horse. With birds, the best form in which it is 

 treated in Mythology is the Harpy. This is taken from 

 Aldrovandus, and fully illustrates the mixture of bird and 

 woman, described by Shakespeare in Pericles (iv. 3) : 



" Cleon. Thou'rt like the harpy, 



Which to betray, dost, with thine angel's face, 

 Seize with thine eagle's talons." 





Then, also, we have the Siren, shown by this illustra- 

 tion, taken from Pompeii. These Sea Nymphs were like 

 the Harpies, depicted as a compound of bird and woman. 



