The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-09-24
some Queer Animals.

--Edgdr Faucet. 81. Nicholas FOR OctOber.
some Queer Animals.
Before Columbus sailed SO bravely off
ont of sight of land, to discover the half OF
the world that he felt sure was on the other
side, people had very queer ideas about
the countries that were beyond Europe.
Animals SO strange We're thought to in.
habit them, that almost any story trav-
eler chose to tell would be believed.
Such creatures as basilisks, griffins,
mermaids. sirens, harpies, centaurs,
unicorns, ph1nixes, and dragons, were
never seen by any one but they were
written about in poems and stories, and
some of them were used in this way to
express various symbolic meanings, 80
that, in writing at least, il seemed diff
cult to get on without them. One of
the most absurd of these animals was
the basilisk, most unpleasant creature
in every way, and not one that could pos
sibly be made pet of. People were
silly enough to believe that it came from
an egg laid by very old cock and
Matched by toad, and that it had
cocks head and wings, a lizards body
and tail, eight feet, and wore kingly
crown as monarch of all the serpents and
dragons, who ran away whenever it came
near them. It's breath was poison, and
the fearful glare of its eyes killed both
animals and men whenever they encoun-
tered il.
THE BAsILISK.
The basilisk, sometimes called the
Cockatrice, lived i'll the deserts of Africa;
it could only live in a desert, for its
dreadful breath burned up everything
that grew, and no animal would venture
near it except the weasel, who would
bravely fight with it. The weasel got
the better of the basilisk by eating an
herb called rue, which poisoned the
monster when it bit him-but the poor
little weasel always sied too.
When the basilisk was dead and
burned to ashes, people took a little COM
fort in it, for the ashes were said to turn
all kinds of metal into gold and it
would seem almost worth while to have
live basilisk about for the chance of
getting a dead one.
THE UNICORN.
This animal was more absurd than
frightful, and looked very much like
! large horse, with one immense horn on
its forehead. This horn was white at
the bottom, black in the middle, and red
at the tip. The uniforms beauty was
further improved by having white
body, red head, and blue eyes.
1t was said to run faster than any
horse and in spite of its queer appear
ance, it was a very aristocratic quadruped
and a starnch supporter Of the British
crown.
In the arms of Great Britain it stands
on one side and the lion on the other
The unicorn has appeared in poetry, too
for we all know the famous lines:
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All about the town.
This was a monstrous bird which was
said to inhabit an island i'll the Chinese
sea. IN the "Arabian Nights" Sinbad
the Sailor has great deal to say about
this strange creature, whose size and
strength We're so great that it could
carry one elephant in its beak and an
other in each of its talons. Pictures
generally represent it in this way; and
the elephants look as meek as kittens,
sailing through the air in this unpleasant
style. The three were probably de-
voured in the course of the day. A roc
egg was said to be like an enormous
white dome, and as firm as mountain.
THE CENTAUR.
The centaur, or bull-killer, was half
man and half horse and pictures usual
ly represent it shooting with bow and
arrow. They were said to be wild and
savage, of great size, covered with
hair, and living in the forests and noun
tains. There were real men in Thessaly,
n province of Greece, who spent most of
their time on horseback hunting bulls !;
and it is thought that the fable of the
centarrs had its origin in them.
Although great improvement on the
happy and some other monsters, the
centaur could not be very agreeable
companion and no one will be sorry
that there never was such creature.
THE DRAGON.
Nothing can be said in favor Of this
ugly-tempered monster. 1t was always in
n passion, and had most unpleasant
habit of vomiting fire from its head and
tail-which prevented its ever being
crowded for room, as no creature cared
TO 90 near it. 1t seemed to be sort of
live volcano i'll form very much like a
crocodile, with the addition of wings,
collar and ears. It's neck, however, was
long ond snake-like, and it had the feet
of lizard, with claws.
These horrible monsters went about
destroying everything in their path, and
would often lay a whole country desolate,
so that brave knights sometimes set forth
to slay them and rid the land of such n
pest. They were terrible enemies to fight
with. and only good men could overcome
them.
You remember hearing of st. George,
the patron saint of England, and OF the
ferocious dragon which he killed after
hard battle. One of these creatures in
Africa was said to have driven back the
whole Roman army.
1t is thought that the dragon was a
type of Satan, or the power of evil.
THE PHOENIX.