“The Nesnas (above-mentioned) is described as resembling half a human being, having half a head, half a body, one arm, and one leg, with which it hops with much agility; as being found in the woods of El-Yemen, and being endowed with speech; ‘but God,’ it is added, ‘is all-knowing.’ (El-Kazweenee in the khatimeh of his work.) It is said that it is found in Hadramot as well as El-Yemen; and that one was brought alive to El-Mutawekkil; it resembled a man in form, excepting that it had but half a face, which was in its breast, and a tail like that of a sheep.  The people of Hadramot, it is added, eat it; and its flesh is sweet.  It is only generated in their country.  A man who went there asserted that he saw a captured Nesnas, which cried out for mercy, conjuring him by God and by himself. (Mi-rat ez-Zeman.) A race of people whose head is in the breast is described as inhabiting an island called Jabeh (supposed to be Java) in the Sea of El-Hind or India; and a kind of Nesnas is also described as inhabiting the Island of Raij, in the Sea of Es-Seen, or China, and having wings like those of the bat. (Ibn El-Wardee.)” Compare also an incident in the story of Janshah (Nights v. p. 333, and note) and the description of the giant Haluka in Forbes’ translation of the Persian Romance of Hatim Tai (p. 47):  “In the course of an hour the giant was so near as to be distinctly seen in shape like an immense dome.  He had neither hands nor feet, but a tremendous mouth, situated in the midst of his body.  He advanced with an evolving motion, and from his jaws issued volumes of flame and clouds of smoke.”  When his reflection was shown him in a mirror, he burst with rage.

I may add that a long-tailed species of African monkey (Cercopithecus Pyrrhonotus) is now known to naturalists as the Nisnas.

Story of the Broken-backed Schoolmaster (pp. 72-74).

I once heard a tale of two Irishmen, one of whom lowered the other over a cliff, probably in search of the nests of sea-fowl.  Presently the man at the top called out, “Hold hard while I spit on my hands,” so he loosed the rope for that purpose, and his companion incontinently disappeared with it.

Story of the Split-mouthed Schoolmaster (pp. 74-77).

In Scott’s “Story of the Wry-mouthed Schoolmaster” (Arabian Nights vi. pp. 74 75) the schoolmaster crams a boiling egg into his mouth, which the boy smashes.

Night Adventure of Sultan Mohammed of Cairo (pp.
68-84).

P. 78.—­Scott (vi. p. 403) makes the proclamation read, “Whoever presumes after the first watch of the night to have a lamp lighted in his house, shall have his head struck off, his goods confiscated, his house razed to the ground, and his women dishonoured.”  A proclamation in such terms under the circumstances (though not meant seriously) would be incredible, even in the East.