Two-headed Wild Geese
Near the land of the Cynocephali or dog-headed men, there were many
islands, and, "Also in this yle, and in many yles thereabout are many
wyld geese with two heads." But these were not the only extraordinary
breed of wild geese, extant.
"As the wise Wilde-geese, when they over-soar
Cicilian mounts, within their bills do bear,
A pebble stone both day and night: for fear
Lest ravenous Eagles of the North descry
Their Armies passage, by their Cackling Cry."
Aristotle mentions the Crane as another stone-bearing bird:--"Among
birds, as it was previously remarked, the Crane migrates from one
extremity of the earth to the other, and they fly against the wind. As
for the story of the stone, it is a fiction, for they say that they
carry a stone as ballast, which is useful as a touchstone for gold,
after they have vomited it up."
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The Saw Fish
"The Saw fish is also a beast of the Sea; the body is huge great, the head hath a crest, and is hard and dented like to a Saw. It will swim under ships and cut them, that the Water may come in, and he may feed on the men when the ship is drowned."... The Scorpion
Of the Scorpion, Pliny says:--"This animal is a dangerous scourge, and has a venom like that of the serpent; with the exception that its effects are far more painful, as the person who is stung will linger for three days before death ensues. The s... The Sea Dragon
Of the Ray tribe of fishes, the Sea Dragon is the most frightful-looking, but we know next to nothing about it. Pliny only cursorily mentions it thus:--"The Sea Dragon again, if caught, and thrown on the sand, works out a hole for itself with i... The Sea-hare
"The Sea-Hare is found to be of divers kinds in the Ocean, but so soon as he is caught, onely because he is suspected to be Venemous, how like so ever he is to a Hare, he is let loose again. He hath four Fins behind his Head, two whose motion is a... The Sea-mouse
"The Sea-Mouse makes a hole in the Earth, and lays her Eggs there, and then covers them with Earth: on the 30th day she digs it open again, and brings her young to the Sea, first blind, and, afterwards, he comes to see. ... The Sea-pig
Again we are indebted to Gesner for the drawing of this Sea Monster. Olaus Magnus, speaking of "The Monstrous Hog of the German Ocean," says:--"I spake before of a Monstrous Fish found on the Shores of England, with a clear description of his... The Sea-serpent
Of the antiquity of the belief in the Sea-Serpent there can be no doubt, for it is represented on the walls of the Assyrian palace at Khorsabad, more than once, in the sculpture representing the voyage of Sargon to Cyprus, thus giving it an authen... The Sphynx
"The SPHYNGA or Sphinx, is of the kind of Apes, but his breast up to his necke, pilde and smooth without hayre: the face is very round, yet sharp and piked, having the breasts of women, and their favor, or visage, much like them: In that part of t... The Sting Ray
Pliny mentions the Sting Ray, and ascribes to it marvellous powers, which it does not possess:--"There is nothing more to be dreaded than the sting which protrudes from the tail of the Trygon, by our people known as the Pastinaca, a weapon five in... The Su
Topsell mentions a fearful beast called the Su. "There is a region in the new-found world, called Gigantes, and the inhabitants thereof, are called Patagones; now, because their country is cold, being far in the South, they cloath themselves with ... The Swallow
"And is the swallow gone? Who beheld it? Which way sailed it? Farewell bade it none?" (W. Smith, Country book.) Olaus Magnus answered this question, according to his lights, and when, discoursing on the Migration ... The Swamfisck
The accompanying illustration, though heading the chapter in Olaus Magnus regarding the Swamfisck and other fish, does not at all seem to elucidate the text:--"The Variety of these Fish, or rather Monsters, is here set down, because of their ad... The Swan
The ancient fable so dear, even to modern poets, that Swans sing before they die--was not altogether believed even in classical times, as saith Pliny:--"It is stated that at the moment of the swan's death, it gives utterance to a mournful song; bu... The Toad
Toads were always considered venomous and spiteful, and they had but one redeeming quality, which seems to be lost to its modern descendants:-- "Sweet are the uses of adversity; Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a p... The Trochilus
This bird, as described by Aristotle, and others, is of a peculiar turn of mind:--"When the Crocodile gapes, the trochilus flies into its mouth to cleanse its teeth; in this process the trochilus procures food, and the other perceives it, and does... The Unicorn
What a curious belief was that of the Unicorn! Yet what mythical animal is more familiar to Englishmen? In its present form it was not known to the ancients, not even to Pliny, whose idea of the Monoceros or Unicorn is peculiar. He describes this ... The Walrus
Of the Walrus, Rosmarus, or Morse, Gesner draws, and Olaus Magnus writes, thus:--"The Norway Coast, toward the more Northern parts, hath a great Fish, as big as Elephants, which are called Morsi, or Rosmari, may be they are (called) so from the... The Wolf
The Wolf, as a beast of prey, is invested with a terror peculiarly its own; when solitary, it is not much dreaded by, and generally shrinks from, man, but, united by hunger into packs, they are truly to be dreaded, for they spare not man nor beast... The Ziphius
This Voracious Animal, whose size may be imagined by comparison with the Seal it is devouring, is thus described by Magnus:--"Because this Beast is conversant in the Northern Waters, it is deservedly to be joined with other monstrous Creatures. Th... Two-headed Wild Geese
Near the land of the Cynocephali or dog-headed men, there were many islands, and, "Also in this yle, and in many yles thereabout are many wyld geese with two heads." But these were not the only extraordinary breed of wild geese, extant. "As... Were-wolves
But of all extraordinary stories connected with the Wolf, is the belief which existed for many centuries, (and in some parts of France still does exist, under the form of the "Loup-garou,") and which is mentioned by many classical authors--Marcell... Wild Men
Sometimes a specimen of humanity has got astray in infancy, and has been dragged up somehow in the woods, like Caspar Hauser, and Peter the Wild Boy, and fiction supplies other instances, such as Romulus and Remus, Orson, &c. Some of them were cre... Woolly Hens
Sir John Maundeville saw in "the kingdome named Mancy, which is the best kingdome of the worlde--(Manzi, that part of China south of the river Hoang-ho) whyte hennes, and they beare no feathers, but woll as shepe doe in our lande." ... Zoophytes
Writing on the lower phases of Marine Animal life, he says:--"Indeed, for my own part, I am strongly of opinion that there is sense existing in those bodies which have the nature of neither animals nor vegetables, but a third, which partakes of th...