206 CURIOUS CREATURES. 



the storks have no young, nor do they build nests ; but 

 vast numbers of ring-doves arrive from beyond sea every 

 year in the district of Volaterrae. At Rome, neither flies, 

 nor dogs ever enter the temple of Hercules in the Cattle 

 Market." . . . 



FISH. 



Terrestrial and Aerial animals were far more familiar 

 to the Ancients than were the inhabitants of the vast 

 Ocean, and not knowing much about them, their habits 

 and ways, took "omne ignotum pro magnifico." 



We have seen the union of Man and Beast, and Man 

 and Bird ; and Man and Fish was just as common, and 

 perhaps more ancient than either of the former for 

 Berosus, the Chaldean historian, gives us an account of 

 Cannes, or Hea, who corresponded to the Greek Cronos, 

 who is identified with the fish-headed god so often re- 

 presented on the sculptures from Nimroud, and of whom, 

 clay figures have been found at Nimroud and Khorsabad, 

 as well as numerous representations on seals and gems. 



Of this mysterious union of Man and Fish, Berosus 

 says : " In the beginning there were in Babylon a great 

 numberof men of various races, who had colonised Chaldea. 

 They lived without laws, after the manner of animals. But 

 in the first year there appeared coming out of the Ery- 

 thrian Sea (Persian Gulf} on the coast where it borders 

 Babylonia, an animal endowed with reason, named 

 Oannes. He had all the body of a fish, but below the 

 head of the fish another head, which was that of a man ; 

 also the feet of a man, which came out of its fish's tail. 

 He had a human voice, and its image is preserved to 

 this day. This animal passed the day time among men, 

 taking no nourishment. It taught them the use of letters, 



