The Washington herald., 1912-08-11
King 0lOnl0n' S Zoo Wild
animals Kept BY Monarch
Leviathans, Unicorns, and Behemoths Represent
ed in the Faunal Assemblage Likewise Mer-
maids, Which Are Plentiful in the Red Sea.

mon also) visited Java, they might east
ly have secured young oranss. while
chfmpanzees were obtainable then, an
they are to-day. from the forests of
tropical Africa.
II Is worth mentioning incidentally that
ancient Hebrew literature likens man n
old age to an ape; and there is a legend
which II preserves to the effect that all
OF the men Of one tribe employed in the
building Of the Tower Of Babel were
transformed into monkeys. Furthermore,
there II a tradition that certain Jews.
dwelling at Elath. on the Red Sea, in
the days Of David. went a-nshing on the
Sabbath, and. as punishment for the
transgression. were turned into apes
In the original of the Scripture text
above quoted q Kings. x:20 the word
translated as ivory is "shenhabbin."
But recent investigation has shown that
II means elephants. Thus we know that
these pachyderms were included in Solo,
mons collection. Doubtless. they were
African elephants. and were fetched
from the port of Carthage-the same spe-
cies as those used by the Carthaginians
for war purposes 100 years later. accom-
panying Hannibal into Europe and cross
ing and recrossing the Alps
About the year 10 B. c. We hnd Anti
ochus Epiphanes. King Of Syria. using
elephants In war AGAINST the Jews They
carried wooden towers strapped on their
backs, each holding four or five bowmen
and singers. and II Is said that intoxi-
cants were given to them before going
into battle to render them furious in
order that they might carry confusion
into the ranks Of the enemy. The officer
in command of this branch OF the mill
tary service was called the elephant
arch" The Jews had revolted against
Antiochus. and the upshot was disas-
trous to them. for he marched against
Jerusalem. profaned the Temple with
pagan sacrifices. carried on the sacred
vessels. and slaughtered 5000 Of the
Inhabitants Of the city.
It is further recorded that Noah, when
he built the Ark. laid In a large supply
of vine branches, In order TO provide the
pair OF elephants on board with their IA
vorite food. II II be asked how these
animals were made captive IN ancient
times, the answer is that in all likeli-
hood the method adopted was the same
as that used in Africa to-day-namely.
driving them into great pens built after
the manner Of a stockade, and then slip
ping nooses Of rope about their feet and
thus reducing them to helplessness. To
secure the young ones must have been
comparatively easy. Where lions were
concerned. pits were doubtless dug to
serve as traps. When the monarch of
the Jungle had fallen in (the pit being
artfully covered with brush to hide It,
and baited with fresh meat II was a
simple matter to entangle him with a
net
Lions became extinct long ago in PaIes-
tine, but in Solomon's day they were
very numerous-so much so that Lafsh.
in Dan. on the borders of the great
Syrian Desert. derived from these beasts
its name. meaning city Of lions. Ezekiel
(Nix:2-9 speaks of the capture Of Hons
in pits. They were commonly kept IN
cages, and let loose for hunting It is
further mentioned in the Scriptures that
their favorite food was the flesh Of Wild
asses: and is fact worthy of note that
at the present day the domestic donkeys
in Rhodesia and ether parts of Africa are
sought as prey by lions 10 such an extent
that the farmers make Systematic war
upon the latter with poison.
Old man Job. who IS supposed to have
lived 700 years before Christ was born.
was the faunal naturalist Of the Bible
In fact. he seems to have been the first
real nature student In history. and his
observations on such matters. as pre-
served in the Scriptures, are remarkably
accurate For instance. in the fourth
chapter Of his Justly celebrated book
(which for literary excellence compares
he says: The old lion perishes for lack
of prey" This. indeed. often happens:
and Gambler Bolton speaks Of a very
aged king of beasts which he found act
ually reduced to the expedient OF hunt
ing field mice along a hillside.
Camels and dromedaries are included IN
every modern menagerie. but It is likely
that they We're not represented in King
Solomon's collection. simply for the rea-
has
are mentioned In the Bible. Gambler
Bolton calls attention to the fact that
Jobs great wealth consisted partly of
the one-humped baggage camels of the
East. But II is certain that the rarer
two-humped Bactrian camels Of Central
Asia were familiarly known in ancient
Palestine. Both are represented on AS
syrian monuments dating back to Old
Testament days. AS for the baggage
camels. the sons Of Reuben. we are told.
ca ptured no fewer than 5000 of them IN
one raid on the desert-dwelling Haggar-
ties.
II Solomon did not have mermaids in
his zoo. IL was because he did not want
them. for there were plenty of them IN
the Red Sea, where they are caught even
at the present day. But naturalists nova
days call them 'duGongs." They are
very interesting species of marine MANI
mails. quite harmless, attaining a length
of eight feet and feeding on seaweeds.
Their heads have more than 4 sugGes-
ton of human outline, and the attitude
Of a mother dugong sucking her young.
and clasping the latter TO her breast
with one fiipper while she swims with
the other so as to hold the heads OF
both above water. may well account for
mistake by ignorant observers. When .
disturbed. she dives and displays her
fsh-lIke tall much after the manner
of veritable mermaid.
Leopards are numerous in Palestine, and
50 likewise are hyenas. which latter are
mentioned in Isaiah as ''doleful crea-
lures" referring to their habit OF prowi-
ing In the darkness with bowling and
hideous human-like laughter. Even at the
present day wolves are very common
in that part of the world. and anciently
they must have caused enormous destruc-
ton to the fiocks and herds to a PASTORAL
people like the Children of Israel The
wolf. indeed. was the symbol or totem Of
the tribe of Benjamin.
Still numerous In parts OF Palestine.
and very destructive to sheep and cattle
as of old, are the Syrian bears. which
are almost exactly like the brown bears
of Europe. but lighter in colcr. One Of
them was killed by the lad David $50
a lamb from the flock he was tending.
And OF this species. also. we may sup
pose were the two that ate up the chill
dren who made fun Of the prophet Elisha
"a parsonage who, however pious, must
have been totally lacking in sense OF
humor. especially when the joke was on