proach his haunts, become a prey to his devouring maw. The camel, the horse, the ox, and other portly quadrupeds which fall in his way, he fiercely attacks, and forthwith devours. He will even venture to encounter, and not always without success, the elephant and the tiger, when they come to drink in the stream. His first attempt is to strike them down to the ground, or break their legs with his tail, in which he generally succeeds: he then drags them to the bottom of the river; or if they are animals of a moderate size, he swallows them up entire, without taking the trouble of putting them to death. The alligator, says Forbes, sometimes basks in the sunbeams on the banks of the river, but oftener floats on its surface: there concealing his head and feet, he appears like the rough trunk of a tree both in shape and colour : by this deception, dogs and other animals fearlessly approach, and are suddenly plunged to the bottom by their insidious foe. Even the royal tiger, when he quits his covert and comes to drink at the stream, becomes his prey. From this description it appears, that no animal is more terrible than the crocodile; no creature in form, in temper, in strength, and in habits, so nearly resembles leviathan, as described by Jehovah himself, in the book of Job, and consequently none has equally powerful claims to the name. This conclusion is greatly strengthened by several allusions to the leviathan in other parts of Scripture. In the prophecies of Isaiah, he is called "the piercing serpent" or dragon; and that the prophet under that symbol refers to the king of Egypt, appears from these words: "And it shall come to pass on that h Orient. Mem. vol. i, p. 358.

Bochart. Hieroz. lib. v, p. 790.

i Is. xxvii, 1, 12.

day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one." The prophet Ezekiel gives to Pharaoh, the name of the great dragon, or leviathan: "Speak and say, thus sayeth the Lord God: Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers: which has said, my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself." But it would certainly be very preposterous to give the name of the elephant to the king of Egypt, which is neither a native of that country, nor ever known to visit the banks of the Nile. In allusion to the destruction of Pharaoh and his army in the Red sea, the Psalmist sings: "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength; thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the water; thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness." But why should Pharaoh and his people be compared so frequently, and with so much emphasis, to the great dragon or leviathan, but because some remarkable, some terrible creature infests their valley, to which that name properly applies? But no for. midable beast of prey, except the crocodile, distinguishes Egypt from the surrounding regions; and since this creature is universally allowed to be extremely strong, cruel, and destructive, we must conclude it is no other than the leviathan of the inspired writers."

'Mailet, Let. ix, p. 32, 33.

j Ezek. xxix, 3. * Ps. lxxiv, 13, 14. m The inhabitants of Egypt regarded the crocodile as the most powerful defender of their country, and the Nile as the source of all their pleasures and sociable enjoyments, and elevated both to the rank of deities. This ac counts for the singular language of the prophet Ezekiel, and the boast which he puts into the mouth of Pharaoh: "My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself." Richardson's Trav. vol. ii, p. 98.

CHAP. VI.

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

The Camel.The Horse.The Ass.-The Mule.

The Camel.

a

THE hame by which this interesting animal has been distinguished among the oriental nations, is derived from the Hebrew verb (n) gamal, to recompense, because there is none that remembers an injury longer, nor seizes with greater keenness the proper opportunity of revenge. "A camel's anger” is, among the Arabians, a proverb for an irreconcileable enmity. This disposition is the more remarkable, that, unless when provoked by harsh treatment, it is eminently gentle and docile. It is indeed one of the most valuable blessings which the bountiful Creator has bestowed on the oriental nations. It constituted, as we learn from the Scriptures, an important branch of patriarchal wealth. Camels were in ancient times, very numerous in Judea, and over all the east. The patriarch Job had at first three thousand, and after the days of his adversity had passed away, six thousand camels. The Arabians estimated their riches and possessions by the number of their camels: and speaking of the wealth and splendour of a noble or prince, they observed, he had so many camels, not so many pieces of gold. The Midianites

a Aristotel. Hist. lib. ix, c. 47. Elian de Nat. Animal. lib. iii, c. 47. b Plin. Hist. Natur. lib. xi, c. 37. Bochart, vol. ii, lib. ii, p. 77.

C

d Buffon's Nat. Hist. vol. vi, p. 126. Bochart. Hieroz. vol. ii, lib. ii, p. 77.

and the Amalekites had camels without number, as the
sand upon the sea shore; many of which were adorned
with chains of gold, and other rich and splendid orna-
ments. So great was the importance attached to the pro-
pagation and management of camels, that a particular offi-
cer was appointed in the reign of David, to superintend
their keepers. Nor is it without a special design, that the
inspired writer mentions the descent of the person appoint-
ed; he was an Ishmaelite, and therefore supposed to be
thoroughly skilled in the treatment of that useful qua-
druped. The care bestowed on the rearing of camels,
was neither misplaced nor extravagant. Not less hardy
and frugal than the soil is barren and ungrateful, no crea-
ture seems so peculiarly fitted to the climate in which it
exists. Designed by the God of nature to dwell in a coun-
try where he can find little nourishment, he is extremely
spare
in the whole of his formation. His head is small and
without ears; his neck long and slender. His legs and thighs
are deprived of every muscle, not immediately requisite
for motion; and his withered body is furnished only with
the vessels and tendons necessary to connect its frame toge-
ther. He is provided, however, with a strong jaw that he
may grind the hardest aliments; but lest he should con-
sume too much, his stomach is contracted, and he is obliged
to chew the cud. His foot is lined with a lump of flesh
which fits him only for a dry, level, and sandy soil. Des-
titute of every sort of defence against his enemies, he is
obviously designed for a state of servitude; but to pre-
serve the species from utter destruction, his beneficent
Creator has concealed him in the depth of the vast deserts,
where the want of vegetation can attract no game, and,

• Jud. vii, 12.

1

any

by consequence, where no voracious animal can have inducement to prowl. The fugitives from Babel, found him wandering on the edge of the wilderness, and by his assistance peopled the most barren soil on the face of our globe. No beast of burden is equal to that animal in size, in strength, in agility; and in docility, patience, and temperance, he is surpassed by none. Like the ass, he is pleased with the coarsest food, and a very little even of that satisfies his moderate appetite. The labour and fatigue which he is capable of enduring on the poorest and scantiest means of subsistence, almost exceeds belief. He will travel four or five days without water; whilst half a gallon of beans and barley, or else a few balls made of the flour, will sustain him for a whole day. Before drinking, he disturbs the water with his feet; first of all he thrusts his head a great way above his nostrils into the water, and then, after the manner of pigeons, makes several successive draughts.

"Nature has furnished the camel with parts and qualities adapted to the office he is employed to discharge. The driest thistle and the barest thorn, is all the food this useful quadruped requires; and even these, to save time, he eats while advancing on his journey, without stopping, or occasioning a moment of delay. As it is his lot to cross immense deserts, where no water is found, and countries not even moistened with the dew of heaven, he is endued with the power, at one watering place, to lay in a store, with which he supplies himself for thirty days to come. To contain this enormous quantity of fluid, Na

d Volney's Trav. vol. i, p. 272.

e Dr. Shaw's Trav. vol. i, p. 305. Buffon's Nat. Hist. vol. vi, p. 124, 134, 145.