The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-08-12
Eastern Lore About Animals.


Among the later reports of the Palestine
Exploration Fund, we find paper on the
Desert of Tih, in which are collected many
curious and interesting observations and
tales about the birds and mammals of the
region.
Many animals have in Arabic a large
number of names-more than five hundred
and sixty, for instance, being applied to
the lion. The following story current among
them will illustrate this fact with reference
to the cat: ABedawi was out hunting one
day, and caught cat, but did not know
what animal it could be. AS he was car
rying it along with him he met man, who
said: " What are you geiag to do with that
Sinnaur ?" Then another asked him:
"What is that Kutt for?' A third called
it hirr, and others styled it successfully
dhayun khaida, and khaital So the Beda-
wi thought to himself, this must be very
valuable animal, and took it to the market,
where he offered it for sale at 100 dirhems.
At this the people laughed and said
"Knowest thou not, o Bedawi that it
would be dear at half dirhem?" He was
enraged at having his dream of wealth
thus rudely dispelled, and flung it away,
exclaiming: May thy house be ruined,
thou beast of many names, but little worth. -
The Arabs say that the occasion of the
cats first appearance was as follows: The
inhabitants of the ark wore much troubled
with mice. Noah, in his perplexity, strok-
ed the lions nose and made him sneeze,
whereupon cat appeared and cleared off
the mice. In the East, as in Europe, a
black cat is regarded as "uncanny," and
various parts of it are used for magical and
medicinal purposes; it's claws, for instance,
are said to be charm against the night
mare. Cats are held in great estimation in
the East, and large prices are sometimes
paid by native ladies for fine Perssn spec
linens. In Cairo, sum of money was left
in trust to feed poor cats, who daily receive
their rations at the Mahkemah claw COURTS.
The celebrated Arabic author and theo-
Logan, Esh Shafiey, relates that when in
Yemen, he and his fellow-travellers prepar-
ed two fowls for dinner one day, but the
hour of prayer coming on, they left them
on the table, and went to perform their
devotions; meanwhile fox came and stole
one. After their prayers were finished,
they saw the fox prowling about with
their chicken in his mouth, so they pur-
sued him and he dropped it. On coming up
nearer to it however, they found it only to
be piece of palm. fibre, which the fox had
dropped to attract their attention, and had,
in the mean time, crept round and carried
off the second chicken, and left them din
nerless. Another story told of the fox is,
that one day he met five slaves who were
travelling with large supply of food and
other goods. He Joined them, and after
time they reached well, but had no rope
wherewith to draw up the water. The fox
that they should throw down
the meal, and that one of their number
should 60 down and knead it, which was
accordingly done. After while, tho fox
said to the four who remained above
"Your comrade must have found trea-
ure. Whv don't you go down and share
il? ?" This hint was enough, and they all
hurried down, while the fox decamped
with their goods and chattels.
The dogs in Eatern towns live in COM
and have distinct bounds, usual
ly ending at street corner, and woe betidc
any dog who wanders beyond his own
proper limits.
Most mosques are tenanted by pigeons,
and not unfrequently a sum of money is
left by some pious moslem to buy corn for
them. At Jerusalem they are especially
whence the Arabic proverb,
Safer than the pigeons of the Haram."
The mourning of doves is as frequently
alluded to in Eastern as it is in Western
poetry.
The favorite colors for horses are chest
nut, gray, dun, black, and dark bay. The
Prophet is related to have pronounced the
following dtcta: "The best horses are
black, with white forehead and white
upper lip; next to these, black horse,
with star and three white stockings;
next bay, with these marks" "Pros-
perity is with sorrel horses" The same
authority judged shikal-that is, having
the right fore and left hind feet white-to
be the sign Of bad horse. The first man
who tanned and rode horse is said to have
been Ishmacl. The first horse appeared
when Adam sneezed on awakening into
life.