Mythical Monsters. Gould Charles

seven dynasties’ distance. Yang Sun of the Ming dynasty (commencing A.D. 1368), states that it was compiled by Kung Chia (and Chung Ku?) from engravings on nine urns made by the Emperor Yü, B.C. 2255. Chung Ku was an historiographer, and at the time of the last Emperor of the Hia dynasty (B.C. 1818), fearing that the Emperor might destroy the books treating of the ancient and present time, carried them in flight to Yin.

      The ’Rh Ya– Initiated according to tradition, by Chow Kung; uncle of Wu Wang, the first Emperor of the Chow dynasty, B.C. 1122. Ascribed also to Tsze Hea, the disciple of Confucius.

      The Bamboo Books– Containing the Ancient Annals of China, said to have been found A.D. 279, on opening the grave of King Seang of Wei [died B.C. 295]. Age prior to last date, undetermined. Authenticity disputed, favoured by Legge.

       Confucius– Author of Spring and Autumn Classics, &c., B.C. (551-479).

      Ctesias– Historian, physician to Artaxerxes, B.C. 401.

      Herodotus– B.C. 484.

      Aristotle– B.C. 384.

      Megasthenes– About B.C. 300. In time of Seleucus Nicator. His work entitled Indica is only known by extracts in those of Strabo, Arrian, and Ælian.

      Eratosthenes– Born B.C. 276. Mathematician, Astronomer, and Geographer.

      Posidonius– Born about B.C. 140. Besides philosophical treatises, wrote works on geography, history, and astronomy, fragments of which are preserved in the works of Cicero, Strabo, and others.

      Nicander– About B.C. 135. Wrote the Theriaca, a poem of 1,000 lines, in hexameter, on the wounds caused by venomous animals, and the treatment. Is followed in many of his errors by Pliny. Plutarch says the Theriaca cannot be called a poem, because there is in it nothing of fable or falsehood.

      Strabo– Just before the Christian era. Geographer.

      Cicero– Born B.C. 106.

      Propertius (Sextus Aurelius) – Born probably about B.C. 56.

      Diodorus Siculus– Wrote the Bibliotheca Historica (in Greek), after the death of Julius Cæsar (B.C. 44). Of the 40 books composing it only 15 remain, viz. Books 1 to 5 and 11 to 20.

      Juba– Died A.D. 17. Son of Juba I., King of Numidia. Wrote on Natural History.

      Pliny– Born A.D. 23.

      Lucan– A.D. 38. The only work of his extant is the Pharsalia, a poem on the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey.

       Ignatius– Either an early Patriarch, A.D. 50, or Patriarch of Constantinople, 799.

      Isidorus– Isidorus of Charaux lived probably in the first century of our era. He wrote an account of the Parthian empire.

      Arrian– Born about A.D. 100. His work on the Natural History, &c. of India is founded on the authority of Eratosthenes and Megasthenes.

      Pausanias– Author of the Description or Itinerary of Greece. In the 2nd century.

      Philostratus– Born about A.D. 182.

      Solinus, Caius Julius– Did not write in the Augustan age, for his work entitled Polyhistor is merely a compilation from Pliny’s Natural History. According to Salmasius, he lived about two hundred years after Pliny.

      Ælian– Probably middle of the 3rd century A.D. De Naturâ Animalium. In Greek.

      Ammianus Marcellinus– Lived in 4th century.

      Cardan, Jerome A.– About the end of 4th century A.D.

      Printing invented in China, according to Du Halde, A.D. 924. Block-printing used in A.D. 593.

      Marco Polo– Reached the Court of Kublai Khan in A.D. 1275.

      Mandeville, Sir John de– Travelled for thirty-three years in Asia dating from A.D. 1327. As he resided for three years in Peking, it is probable that many of his fables are derived from Chinese sources.

      Printing invented in Europe by John Koster of Haarlem, A.D. 1438.

      Scaliger, Julius Cæsar– Born April 23rd, 1484. Wrote Aristotelis Hist. Anim. liber decimus cum vers. et comment. 8vo. Lyon, 1584, &c.

       Gesner– Born 1516. Historiæ Animalium, &c.

      Ambrose Paré– Born 1517. Surgeon.

      Belon, Pierre– Born 1518. Zoologist, Geographer, &c.

      Aldrovandus– Born 1552. Naturalist.

      Tavernier, J. B.– Born 1605.

      Păn Ts’ao Kang Muh– By Li Shê-chin of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1628).

      Yuen Kien Léi Han– A.D. 1718.

       CHAPTER I.

      ON SOME REMARKABLE ANIMAL FORMS

      The reasoning upon the question whether dragons, winged snakes, sea-serpents, unicorns, and other so-called fabulous monsters have in reality existed, and at dates coeval with man, diverges in several independent directions.

      We have to consider: —

      1. – Whether the characters attributed to these creatures are or are not so abnormal in comparison with those of known types, as to render a belief in their existence impossible or the reverse.

      2. – Whether it is rational to suppose that creatures so formidable, and apparently so capable of self-protection, should disappear entirely, while much more defenceless species continue to survive them.

      3. – The myths, traditions, and historical allusions from which their reality may be inferred require to be classified and annotated, and full weight given to the evidence which has accumulated of the presence of man upon the earth during ages long prior to the historic period, and which may have been ages of slowly progressive civilization, or perhaps cycles of alternate light and darkness, of knowledge and barbarism.

      4. – Lastly, some inquiry may be made into the geographical conditions obtaining at the time of their possible existence.

      It is immaterial which of these investigations is first entered upon, and it will, in fact, be more convenient to defer a portion of them until we arrive at the sections of this volume treating specifically of the different objects to which it is devoted, and to confine our attention for the present to those subjects which, from their nature, are common and in a sense prefatory to the whole subject.

      I shall therefore commence with a short examination of some of the most remarkable reptilian forms which are known to have existed, and for that purpose, and to show their general relations, annex the accompanying tables, compiled from the anatomy of vertebrated animals by Professor Huxley: —

      REPTILES CLASSIFIED BY HUXLEY.

      The most bird-like of reptiles, the Pterosauria, appear to have possessed true powers of flight; they were provided with wings formed by an expansion of the integument, and supported by an enormous elongation of the ulnar finger of the anterior limb. The generic differences are based upon the comparative lengths of the tail, and upon the dentition. In Pterodactylus (see Fig. 2, p. 18), the tail is very short, and the jaws strong, pointed, and toothed to their anterior extremities. In Rhamphorynchus (see Fig. 8, p. 18), the tail is very long and the teeth are not continuous to the extremities of the jaws, which are produced into toothless beaks. The majority of the species are small, and they are generally considered to have been inoffensive creatures, having much the habits and insectivorous mode of living of bats. One British species, however, from the white chalk of Maidstone, measures more than sixteen feet