when they occur, are of the poorest and strangest character. (See [PLATE LXVI., Fig. 1.]) In the second period, on the contrary, backgrounds are the rule, and slabs without them form the exception.  The vegetable forms are abundant and varied, though still somewhat too conventional.  Date-palms, firs, and vines are delineated with skill and spirit; other varieties are more difficult to recognize. [PLATE LXVI., Fig. 3.] The character of the countries through which armies march is almost always given—­their streams, lakes, and rivers, their hills and mountains, their trees, and in the case of marshy districts, their tall reeds.  At the same time, animals in the wild state are freely introduced without their having any bearing on the general subject of the picture.  The water teems with fish, and, where the sea is represented, with crabs, turtle, star-fish, sea-serpents, and other monsters.  The woods are alive with birds; wild swine and stags people the marshes.  Nature is evidently more and more studied; and the artist takes a delight in adorning the scenes of violence, which he is forced to depict, with quiet touches of a gentle character—­rustics fishing or irrigating their grounds, fish disporting themselves, birds flying from tree to tree, or watching the callow young which look up to them from the nest for protection.

In regard to human forms, no great advance marks this period.  A larger variety in their attitudes is indeed to be traced, and a greater energy and life appears in most of the figures; but there is still much the same heaviness of outline, the same over-muscularity, and the same general clumsiness and want of grace.  Animal forms show a much more considerable improvement.  Horses are excellently portrayed, the attitudes being varied, and the heads especially delineated with great spirit.  Mules and camels are well expressed, but have scarcely the vigor of the horses.  Horned cattle, as oxen, both with and without humps, goats, and sheep are very skilfully treated, being represented with much character, in natural yet varied attitudes, and often admirably grouped.

[Illustration:  PLATE 67]

[Illustration:  PLATE 68]

The composition during this period is more complicated and more ambitious than during the preceding one; but it may be questioned whether it is so effective.  No single scene of the time can compare for grandeur with the lion-hunt above described.  The battles and siege are spirited, but want unity; the hunting scenes are comparatively tame; the representations of the transport of colossal bulls possess more interest than artistic merit.  On the other hand, the manipulation is decidedly superior; the relief is higher, the outline is more flowing, the finish of the features more delicate.  What is lost in grandeur of composition is, on the whole, more than made up by variety, naturalness, improved handling, and higher finish.