346 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
NOTE ADDED IN THE PRESS. 
While these pages are passing through the press my attention has 
been drawn by Prof. Haddon to an article in the October number of the 
Edinburgh Review on Aristotle’s History of Animals. Aristotle’s 
history has not been often quoted in this paper, for the simple reason that 
it contains little or nothing of importance about Indian animals which 
is at the same time original. The statement of Pliny and Athenzus, 
that Alexander sent Indian animals to Aristotle, has been rejected as 
being without foundation by Humboldt, Schneider, and Grote. With 
this opinion, which is endorsed by the writer of the review, I fully 
agree, on account of the absence of original remarks regarding them ; 
but I must take exception to part of what he says about Ktesias, for 
although he objects to Aristotle’s mention of him as a man ‘‘ unworthy 
of credit’? (otx dv a€uricTos), and as a ‘“‘ manifest lar ”’ (pavepos 
eevopevos), he himself says that the following, together with some of 
the races of men mentioned by Ktesias, are ‘‘ simply creatures of the 
imagination,”’ or ‘‘ altogether fabulous.” The animals so denominated 
are the Skolex, Dikairon, Martikhora,’ and the Indian ass, the origin of 
the stories regarding each of which, and their respective identifications, 
I venture to believe I have successfully explained in the foregoing pages. 
His opinion as to the identity of the Arokottas agrees, I observe, with 
mine. 
It has occurred to me that the Leucrocotta of Pliny (B. viii. ch. 30) 
was the Nilgai (Portax pictus). According to his description it was 
the size of the wild ass, with the legs of a stag, the neck, tail, and breast 
of a lion, the head of a badger, a cloven hoof, the mouth slit up as far 
as the ears, and one continuous bone instead of teeth. The last item 
I cannot explain; but the mane and tail of the Nilgai sufficiently 
resemble those of the lion to have suggested the comparison. 
The Hippelaphas of Aristotle has also been supposed to be the 
Nilgai by some writers. 
115 Topsell’s fantastic figure of the Martikhora, given in his ‘‘ History of Four- 
footed Beasts,’’ which is reproduced by Miss Phipson in her “ Animal Lore of 
Shakespere,’’ might easily be spoken of as a creature of the imagination. 
