Key to Easy Latin Stories for beginners/Part I/III
III.BEASTS IN EGYPT AND LIBYA.
7.In Egypt there are found few animals. Therefore all are held sacred. Dogs and cats are worshipped. When a cat has died in any house, all the inhabitants of that house shave their eyebrows only: when a dog has died, they shave the whole of the body and head. Dead cats are buried in sacred tombs in the town of Bubastis. They bury dead dogs, each one in his own city. They also worship mice, spiders, hawks, ibises, (and) ichneumons.
The hippopotamus.
8.Hippopotami are held sacred by some Egyptians, but not sacred by the rest. Their nature and appearance is as follows. (It is) a four-footed animal, with cloven foot, the hoof of an ox, snub nose, the mane of a horse, projecting teeth, the tail and voice of a horse : in size they resemble bulls.
The phoenix.
9.There is also a sacred bird, by name the phoenix. It visits Egypt very rarely, after an interval of five hundred years. Now it arrives on the death of its father. It is of the following size and description (lit. so great and such); the colour of the feathers, in some, is golden, in others, red; in look and size it closely resembles an eagle. The phoenix leaving Arabia, carries his father covered with myrrh to the temple of the Sun, and buries him in the temple of the Sun.
The winged serpents and the ibis.
10.At the commencement of spring winged serpents fly to Egypt. But the ibis birds meeting them, prevent them from approaching, and kill the serpents. For this reason they are highly valued by the Egyptians. Now the appearance of the ibis is as follows; it is a bird of a black colour, with the claws of a crane, and a curved bill. The shape of the snakes resembles the shape of water snakes. They have wings, not feathered, but resembling the wings of a bat.
Wonderful animals in Libya.
11.There are in Libya serpents of huge size ; there are in the same place lions, and elephants, and bears, and aspides, and homed asses. There are also human beings having the heads of dogs. There are others without heads, haying eyes in the breast, and wild men. There are also two-legged mice, and small serpents (provided) with one horn (a-piece). In a word, a great number of strange animals is found in these regions.
The crocodile.
12.Now the nature of the crocodile is as follows. During the five months of winter it takes no food. It is a quadruped, inhabiting land and water alike: for it lays and hatches its eggs on land, and lives on dry ground the greater part of the day, but by night in the river: for by night the water is wanner than the earth when sprinkled with dew. But of all animals this one, from being very small, becomes the greatest. For its eggs are not much larger than the eggs of a goose; but it reaches to the length of seventeen cubits. Now it has the eyes of a pig, but large teetL Alone of all animals it has not a tongue, nor does it move its lower jaw. Moreover, it has strong claws, and a scaly skin. In the water, indeed, it is blind; it sees well in the air. It has its mouth full of leeches within. Now other birds indeed and beasts fly from it, but it is at peace with the wagtail. The latter does it a useful service: for creeping into its mouth it devours the leeches.
Strange pets.
13.Now crocodiles are sacred to some Egyptians; not to others also, but the latter pursue them as foes. All the inhabitants around Thebes and the lake of Moeris consider them sacred. All of these rear one crocodile in particular, well trained to be handled. In their ears they insert earrings, and adorn their fore feet with golden armlets. They feed this same one; and bury it when dead in a sacred sepuldire.