The Oxford intelligencer., 1860-07-11
From Dickens Household Words.
Supernatural Zoology.


the Ortus Sanitatis; it was published in th,
last years of the fifteenth century, and tell
what was known, not Of plants only, but als'
of birds, beasts, fishes, and stones, three o
four hundred years ago. We have sketcheo
in some back numbers of this journal tn,
superstitions that formed part of the belle
and science of our forefathers, so far as re
CARDS men and spirits, and fulfil now an ex
ceedingly old promise by here setting down
natural zoology; for of the wonders of theii
botany it will be quite enough to speak ii
one short paragraph.
They figured in good faith the arbor Vita
or the lignum vite Paradise, and stated that
the flesh of any man who ate it would be
firm forever and that such a man would be
exempt from every care. The wood Of this
tree is not destroyed but purified by fire.
Bitumen, floating on the Dead Sea, is also
rcckoned among plants, although it is defined
to be the dung of deamons. Butter ranks
among herbs as the flower of milk, and cheese
has like privilege. 1t is said, by-thc-bye,
that Zoroastcr in the desert ate nothing but
cheese for twenty years, and was during the
whole time free from ache or pain. The Dip
tannum or Biptannum is described and fig
ured as sort of mint growing in rocky
places, and well known in Thessaly and Crete,
which being eaten expels arrows or any steel
or iron weapons from the body. Arrows shot
into a goat by the hunter, if the goat nibbes
diptannum, are shot out again. Dew falling
upon stones or plants congeals and produces
mamma. If gathered quickly it is green; if
ii remain long on the plant or stone it will nc
qurc a whitish colour. Mmdragora is male
and female, and is figured with roots in the
respective similtudcs Of man and wo-
man. The plant ITSELF which is not fabulous,
is described 10y Scrapion and Dioscorides as
having been used for the same purpose now
answered by chloroforn, before painful ope
rations with the knife or actual cautcry.
We say no more Of botany, and will omit
from our zoology all record of the fabulous
properties ascrbed TO common things, as that
the ,pittlc of a young man kills scorpions,
or that toad being burnt to powder aud the
powder left to itself there will be produced
out Of it a new toad, and not only one but
many; or that to get ri-l Of mice one should
iunigatc the house with the left hoof of
mule. We speak only of some Of those an
imals that are no longer named in any volume
Of zoology. Such a creature is the Amphis- |
bona, which is snake having head in the |
right place and another where its tail should
be. THIS animal, being particular about It's
eggs, hold, up always one head to watch .
them while the other head sleeps. Ga the
of Ayiccnna, it is stated, that to t
see or hear this animal is death, and that .
whatever it bites dissolvcs. The Cacus is
our old Arcadian friend who dracs his prey /
backwards into his cave, and used to exist
not only in Nirgil's poetry, but also in books
Of science. Ccrastes was Il serpent with four
horns, of which knife handlers were made,
that sweatcd when near poison. In the ter
-iblc old days Of treachcry aud passion it was
quite worth aman's while 20 have some means
# testing the meat into which he cut.
The Ccphus was man below, a sort of dog
ibovc; this creature was never seen except
# games IN Rome given by Pompey. The
Jcntrpcata had the body Of an ass, the legs
md head of lion, the voice Of IN OK, and
mouth splitting the head quite open fom ear
70 ear Draco, the dragon, is an old acquain-
ancc. In early books on zoology he is care
ully described, and there is a good deal said
ibout his medicinal properties. lie lived in
'avcs on account Of the heat Of his body, and
Vas big enough in India to crack elephants,
ndia being the great scat Of an intcrminabe (
var between the elephants and dragons
There is a stone in the dragons head which
s not stone unless cxtricatcd when he is
live; after his death it ceases to be hard
This stone is the chief glory and aid OF East
IN kings. They cause dragons TO be put to
lecp with medicaicd grasses, and then stone
hem almost as easil as raisins. All things
poisonous fly from Dragons Fat. The drag
ms tongue taken in wine banishes the night {
mare. The dragons flesh IS Of CLASSY col :
ur and cools those who feed upon it; for
his reason, the Ethiopians, who live in hot I
ountry, prefer that sort Of meat. For old
equaiutance-sake We have stopped some lit 1
lc time with the dragon, before passing on
o the DFaconcopcdes. This Is the serpent !
gith woman's head that tempted Eve
Sede is Of opinion that It showed only its al ;
uring face to Eve, and hid its scrPent's body l
'ehind the trunk or among the leaves Of the ,
rec Of knowledge. The Jaculus was a wing /
4 serpent that descended upon trees and
iIlcd by look whatever lay beneath. Le-
latham Is the great horse on which the devil
ides. 1t has terrible battles with the whale, /
nd when they fight the fishes round about |
warm in a crowd round the whales tail If ,
be whale Is vanqui>hed. all the fishes are de- /
CURED; If the Leviathan. OF Levin, be baf |