city were deemed the prime qualities of man--is now more
justly considered to belong to the mild, majestic, and almost rational
elephant. The _White Elephant_ is a sacred animal with the Siamese, and
the cow with the Bramins and Hindoos.

The _Bear_ was believed never to devour a man whom it found dead; and it
was imagined to lick its cubs into proper shape: hence the expression
"unlicked cub," applied to a raw, awkward, unpolished youth. The saliva of
the _Lama_, which when angry it ejects, has been erroneously supposed to
possess a corrosive quality.

The hoof of the _Moose-deer_ was formerly in great repute for curing
epilepsies, but has now justly fallen into neglect. The Laplander,
commencing his journey, whispers into the ear of his _Rein-deer_,
believing these animals understand and will obey his oral directions. The
_Elk_ is accounted by the Indians an animal of good omen, and often to
dream of him indicates a long life. They imagine also the existence of a
gigantic elk, which walks without difficulty in eight feet of snow, has an
arm growing from its shoulder which it uses as we do, is invulnerable to
all weapons, is king of the elks and attended by a numerous herd of
courtiers. The fur of the _Glutton_ is so valued by the Kamschatdales that
they say celestial beings are clad in no other.

It was long a popular error that the _Porcupine_, when irritated,
discharged its quills at its adversary; that these quills were poisonous,
and rendered wounds inflicted by them difficult to cure: a better
acquaintance with the natural history of this harmless animal has now
exploded these fables. Our British porcupine, the innocuous _Hedgehog_,
has long been the object of unceasing persecution, from the popular belief
that it bites and sucks the udders of cows, an absurdity sufficiently
contradicted by the smallness of its mouth. In like manner, the
_Goat-sucker_ is a persecuted bird, since, as its name implies, it has been
thought to suck the teats of goats and other animals; whereas the form of
its bill entirely precludes such an act, and it is an inoffensive bird,
living upon insects. The superstition has probably originated from its
being often found in warm climates under cattle, capturing the insects
that torment them. It is supposed, in some places, that the _Shrew-mouse_
is of so baneful and deleterious a nature that whenever it creeps over a
beast, cow, sheep, or horse (in particular), the animal is afflicted with