The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-06-20
closed q brilliant course in the Medical School
of the Catholic University.

very interesting stranger is at present in
Dublin. He has come from the Cape of Good
Hope, and his name is the klipdas, Of that
region-an animal very closely allied to the
shaphan or rock coney Of Holy Writ. The
specimen has been purchased for the Ma
tural History Museum of Trinity College, but
will be exhibited during life in the Geological
Gardens, Phoenix Park. / think I cannot do
better than quote here the following interest
| ing sketch of the tribe. 1t has been furnished
| to the papers here by one of the conserva-
| tors of the Gardens, the Rev. DR.. Haughton,
| Fellow of Trinity College, If am not greatly
mistaken:
The celebrated Cuyier first pointed out the
singular position of this little animal, which
formerly believed to be rodent so Called to
sess for it's nearest relatives the tspin. hippo
potamus and rhinoceros. Professor Marsh, of
Yale College has recently discovered ~ in the
I matous animals of great size, closely allied TO
! the k!ipdas or shaphan. The klipdas is not
much larger than rabbit, and (apfortunately
i for itselD IL considered q great delicacv when
properly cooked. 1t lives in caves of noun
famous districts. suoh as Table Mount, at the
Cape of Good Hope, or the hill country OF
| rocky caves, and ia there called ashkoko, from
the long. hedgehog.like hairs which grow
along its back, which in Amhara are called
| "ashkok." It's modern name in Palestine and
Arabia is "gamu Israel" or sheep of Israel.
The Hebrew name of this remarkable little
animal '(shaphan) signifies "the hider," and
four times in Holy Scripture, and is called in
the authorized version coney (rabbit). The
Septuagint translators in all four places use the
! word " cherogrylius," which implies sort of
grunting pig, and shows that they had q dim
notion Of its geological peculiarities st. Je-
rome also states that the shaphan is somewhat
| larger than hedgehog, and hat it resembled
both mouse and bear (probably from it's
feet, which have four round, soft toes on the
front and three toes on the bind). In the Vul-
cberogrylius," 'erinaceus" (bedgebogl, "ou-
nculus" (coney). "lepusculus" Gittle hare).
The jews were not allowed to eat the shaphan.
cud, but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean
to yon."-Levit. XII, v, repeated in Deut. xiv,
z. 1.-THE high hills are refuge for the wild
goats and the rocks for the shaphan."-Ps. CIV,
is. The cunning of the shapan is alluded to
by Agur, the son of Jakeh, as folrows: There
be four things which are little upon the earth,
bit they are exceeding Tise TIE an az are
, rocks"-Prov. Xxx, "a. &C. The other cunning
animals named by Agur are the ant, the locust
> coney. now in the Geological Gardens will well
; | repay o visit, and both his toes and teeth
should be noted. The molar teeth resemble
those of the rhinocerOs; there are two strop &
incisors without recurved roots in the upper
, jaw, and two CANNES in youth; and there are
, four incisors in the lower jaw, two of which
are prominent and horizontal; the body is
, covered with thick hair, with hedgehog bris-
ties here and there; the tail is represented by
little tubercle; and there sig teats, two
pectoral and four ventral: Bruce says that in
Abyssinia they live in airy caverns and holes
, in the roeks that they are gregarious, and
that frequently several dozen of them sit upon
large stones at the entrance of their caves,
warming themselves in the sun, and comm &
out to enjoy the freshness of summers even
ing. They do not stand upright upon their
feet. hut seem 30 steal along as in fear, their
} few steps at q time, and then pausing: They
, have something very mild, feeble-lke and
timid in their department, are gentle and
easily tanned though when roughly banded ed; a.
das are so hight that they assist the aim Of
the Cape sportsmen in the dusk of the evening
1t lie said by, goarmetS that Providence made
one mistake in the creation of the world in no
making the snipe as large as a swan If the
Cape cooks be right, the klipdes should have
been as large as his cousin, the rhinoceros
Our American visitors to the o'Connell cen
, tenary will doubtless take care to have lool
at this interesting creature.
The American rifle-team are not likely to ge
an ovation from the masses of the Irish people
The reason of this is to be sought in the fac
that the persons who are inviting them ove
are clique of Castle toadies,' ultra-loyalsts
who have the audacity to call themselves the
representative rihemen of Ireland, when it is
q notorious fact that the great macs of the
Irish people are entirely disarmed and, there
fore, have no opportunity of using the rifle
1t is for this reason that many consider the
coming match, as an " international match
entirely inappropriate, and almost an insult to
the country; and it is for this reason that one
of the most popular NJ. P.s in all Ireland-Mr.
J. Ronayne, NJ. P. for Cork City-has writ
ten to the papers, advising the people not, in
deed, to chow any discourtesy to the American
champions, but not to give them any pulse
welcome.
am sure that some, at least, amongst the
} readers of the STAR intend to visit Dublin in
August next, on the occasion of the celebration
of the O'Connell centenary. All those, and
others, too, perhaps, will be obliged to me for
placing thus early before them the following,