and relates a story of King Marras, who, having employed a raven to carry his letters, buried it there at its death, in token of his esteem for its fidelity. From what he mentions in another place*, it appears that the race of crows and ravens has wofully degenerated, though greatly to the advantage of the modern inhabitants. For those birds, as soon as they saw a boat passing on the river, in a supplicating manner approached, and petitioned for whatever they required: if given, they departed quietly; but if refused, they settled on the prow, and pulling to pieces the ropes, revenged themselves on the offenders. His wellknown story of the Libyan crows dropping pebbles into jars, until the water rose within reach of their bills, is also on a par with the animal sagacity of those times. The swallow often occurs in hieroglyphics, where it sometimes signifies "great," and "valuable;” but it does not occur as an emblem of any Deity, and the only instance of its occurrence in religious subjects is on the boat of Atmoo.t Isis was not worshipped under the form of a swallow, as some have supposed; and if a group, of which this bird forms the principal feature, accompanies her name, it is only in the sense above mentioned; and applied to her in common with other Deities. The swallow is found embalmed in the tombs of Thebes. Another bird, which is generally mistaken for the swallow, and has been conjectured by Champollion to represent a sparrow, is figured in the + Vide Plate 47. suprà, p. 25. * Elian, ii. 48. hieroglyphic legends as the type of an impure or wicked person. I believe it to be the wagtail, or motacilla; and it is worthy of remark that this bird is still called in Egypt "aboo fussád,” “the father of corruption," as if in memorial of the hieroglyphical character assigned to it by the ancient Egyptians. It does not appear that the upupa was sacred, and indeed the honour once accorded to it, of giving its head to the sceptres of the Gods, is now taken from it.* Elian + states, that the Egyptians respected this bird and the Vulpanser goose for their love of their young, and the stork for its tenderness to its parents, but there is no reason to believe that any one of these was sacred. FOWLS, PIGEONS, DOVES, QUAILS, OSTRICHES. It is a remarkable fact that though fowls abounded in Egypt, they are never represented in the sculptures. Plutarch tells us they sacrificed white and saffron-coloured cocks to Anubis, but without saying that they were the emblems of any God. Indeed the universal use of fowls as an article of food argues against the probability of their having been sacred; nor are they found embalmed in the tombs. It is not, however, impossible on this account that they might have been emblems, as the goose, though so universally adopted as an article of food, was the symbol of the God Seb; * Vide supra, p. 47. † Ælian, Nat. An. x. 16. and, were it not for the absence of all proof of it in the sculptures, we might believe that the assertion of Proclus respecting the cock applies to the religion of Egypt. That author says it held a rank among "solar animals, because it appears to applaud the Sun at its rising, and partakes like the lion of the solar influence. For though so inferior in size and strength, the cock is said to be feared by the lion, and almost revered by it, the virtue of the Sun being more suited to the former than to the latter and dæmons with a lion's head, when the cock is presented to them, are known instantly to vanish." This notion of the lion and cock being analogous emblems, and the latter possessing power to contend with his powerful competitor, probably led to the design engraved by a Roman artist on a stone I found in the Fyoom, representing a lion and cock fighting, whilst a rat carries off the bone of contention. This, besides the obvious moral it conveys, shows that the two animals were chosen as the types of strength or courage. It also recalls the assertion of Pliny*, that "cocks are a terror to lions, the most generous of animals." Pigeons are not generally represented in the sculptures; but an instance occurs of their introduction at the coronation ceremony, which is par ticularly interesting, as it shows the early custom of training carrier pigeons, and adds one more confirmation of the truth of Solomon's remark, "there is no new thing under the sun." The king is there * Plin. lib. x. c. 21. represented as having assumed the pshent or double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt; and a priest lets fly four pigeons, commanding them to announce to "the South, the North, the West, and the East, that Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, has put on the splendid crowns of the Upper and Lower country, — (that) the King Remeses III. has put on the two crowns." The pigeon is also noticed as a favourite food of the Egyptians; and so pure and wholesome was it considered by them, that when the country was visited by epidemic diseases, and all things were affected by the pestilential state of the atmosphere, they believed that those alone who contented themselves with it were safe from the infection. Indeed, during that period, no other food was placed upon the tables of the kings and priests, whose duty it was to keep themselves pure for the service of the Gods. There is, however, no appearance of pigeons, or even doves, having been sacred; and neither these nor the quail are found embalmed. The quail is represented among the offerings to the Gods in the tombs, and was eaten by the Egyptians, but it was not the emblem of any Deity. Nor did the ostrich hold a place among the sacred animals of Egypt, though much esteemed for its plumes. This is the more singular, as the ostrich feather was a symbol of the Goddess of Truth or Justice. It belonged also to the head-dress of Ao; * Vide Plate 76. + Horapollo, Hierog. i. 57. it was adopted by Hermes Trismegistus, as well as some other Deities; and it was worn by the soldiery and the priests on certain religious festivals. Ostrich eggs were highly prized by the Egyptians, and were part of the tribute paid to them by foreigners whose countries it inhabited; and it is possible, as I have already observed*, that they were considered, as at the present day, the emblems of some divine attribute, and suspended in their temples, as they still are in the churches of the Copts. THE IBIS, THE HERON, AND OTHER WADING BIRDS. The Ibis was sacred to Thoth t, who was fabulously reported to have eluded the pursuit of Typho under the form of this bird. It was greatly revered in every part of Egypt; and at Hermopolis, the city of Thoth, it was worshipped with peculiar honours, as the emblem of the Deity of the place. It was on this account considered, as Clemens and Æliant tells us, typical of the Moon, or the Hermes of Egypt. Its Egyptian name was Hip; from which Champollion supposes the town of Nibis to have been called, being a corruption of Ma-n-hip, or ǹ-hip," the place of the Ibis." This name was applied to Ibeum, where it received the same honours as at the city of Thoth. * Suprà, Vol. II. pp. 6. and 20. + Plato in Phædro. Vide suprà, p. 7. Ælian, Nat. An. x. 29. Horapollo, i. 10. and 36. Clem. Strom. lib. v. p. 242. Ælian, Nat. An. ii. 38. |