CURIOUS CREATURES. 249 



Sir John Mandeville, speaking of the kingdom of Talo- 

 nach, says : " And that land hath a marvayle that is 



in no other land, for all maner of fyshes of the sea 

 cometh there once a yeare, one after the other, and 

 lyeth him neere the lande, sometime on the lande, and 

 so lye three dayes, and men of that lande come thither 

 and take of them what he will, and then goe these 

 fyshes awaye, and another sort commeth, and lyeth also 

 three dayes and men take of them, and do thus all 

 maner of fyshes tyll all have bene there, and menne 

 have taken what they wyll. And men wot not the 

 cause why it is so. But they of that Countrey saye, 

 that those fyshes come so thyther to do worship to 

 theyr king, for they say he is the most worthiest king 

 of the worlde, for he hath so many wives, and geateth 

 so many children of them." (See next page.) 



I know of no other fish of such an accommodating 

 nature, except it be those of whom Ser Marco Polo 

 speaks, when writing of Armenia: "There is in this 

 Country a certain Convent of Nuns called St. Leonard's, 



