120 The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 
be a producer of fire. The birds to which the lightning-cloud 
is compared in ancient folk-lore may be an eagle or other 
rapacious bird, a woodpecker or a red-breast, according as 
some peculiarity in the bird's habits, form or colour, suggested 
some similarity to the lightning-cloud. Thus the high-soaring 
and swift rapacious eagle represents the terrific and destructive 
thunder-cloud, the boring woodpecker the fire which the cloud 
contains and which it was supposed to create, while the mere 
red breast of the harmless robin suggested by its colour the 
idea of fire. In the historical accounts of the wars of the 
Assyrian kings, it was very natural and in accord with their 
martial spirit, for them to relate how their warriors darted 
upon the enemy " like a divine Zu bird." The eagle is doubt- 
less the Zu bird here ; but I do not think that the Zu bird is 
to be restricted to the eagle. The Zu-god of the Chaldean 
legend, who dwelt in the lower part of the forest, and who for 
stealing the tablets of destiny was changed into the divine 
storm bird, may perhaps be the woodpecker, the antetype of 
the Hellenic Phoroneus, the Latin Picus feronius. Thus we 
seem to have the main features of the Promethian story in 
the Chaldean legend. So far as the Chaldean and Hellenic 
myth run parallel, Lugalturda ("powerful king") represents 
Prometheus, the destiny tablets are the fire (divine knowledge) 
from heaven, and the bird into which the fire-stealing god is 
changed is the wood-boring, fire-producing woodpecker, or the 
Avis incendaria, to which the lightning-cloud is compared. 
Note on Augury by the Assyrians. 
It is very probable that the early inhabitants of Mesopo- 
tamia and Elam practised augury to a considerable extent. 
In W.A.L, III, 52, there is a catalogue naming various subjects 
which were possessed by the royal libraries of Babylonia; 
among other matters there is mention of one relating to omens 
to be derived from the appearance, flight, and cries of birds. 
The passage is obscure. On my referring to my friend 
Mr. Sayce, he gives me such an explanation of certain words, 
as to induce me to suggest what appears to me to be near the 
meaning, and what may prove to be the clue to the more 
