OE ANIMALS WITH BLOOD. 255 



later, and the mythical unicorn shown on coats-of-arms, are 

 representative of such an animal. The Onjx, according to 

 Aristotle, has a single horn in the middle of its head, and is 

 cloven-footed.* Pliny, probably referring to the same 

 animal, says that its hair is directed towards its head, f 



It is probable that the Oryx is the Beisa {Oryx heisa), or 

 the sabre-horned antelope (0. leucoryx). That Aristotle saw 

 either of these animals is unlikely, and he probably relied on 

 descriptions which brought out in relief the remarkable one- 

 horned appearance of these animals, when seen sideways. 

 Sundevall says that the Oryx is sometimes shown on 

 Egyptian sculptures and paintings, so that the two horns 

 appear as one. + I have met with but small success in finding 

 such representations. In the Memoirs of the Archceological 

 Survey of Egypt, 1893-1900, there are several representations 

 of one-horned animals, a few of which seem to be Oryxes, 

 but these animals are more commonly shown with two 

 horns. A very good representation of Oryxes, with both 

 horns shown, may be seen, e.g., in the painting called " The 

 Farmyard : Feeding the Oryxes." § 



It may be mentioned that Oppian of Syria gives a long 

 and interesting description of the Oryx.\\ On the whole, his 

 description applies best to Oryx leucoryx. 



In addition to information about the longevity, food, 

 diseases, and mode of life of camels, Aristotle says that the 

 Arabian camel brings forth but one foal at a birth, and that 

 the period of gestation is twelve months.^ The first state- 

 ment is quite correct, and the second very nearly so, the 

 period of gestation being a little more than twelve months. 

 In another passage, he states more erroneously that the 

 period of gestation is ten months.** 



Aristotle says that the Pardion or Hij^pardion is a 

 cloven-footed wild animal having a mane and horns, tf In 

 Schneider's Greek text, the animal is called Pardion, but, 

 in the texts of Syllburg, Scaliger, and Camus, it is called 

 Hippardion. It may be the giraffe, as Pallas, Sundevall, 

 and others believed, for Aristotle may have been acquainted 

 with it, by report at least, although it was not well known 



* H. A. ii. c. 2, s. 9 ; P. A. iii. c. 2, 663a. 



I Nat. Hist. viii. 79. 



\ Die Thierarten des Aristofeles, 1863, p. C4. 



§ Beni Hasan, part 1, plate xxvii. Published bj' the Arch. Survey 

 of Ef^ypt, London, 1893. 



II Cynegetica, ii. 445-88. II H. A. v. c. 12, s. 13. 

 =-:= Ibid. vi. c. 25, s. 1. f f Ihid. ii. c. 2, s 3. 



