This beast is a native of Hyrcania, and it is something like the panther from the various spots on its skin.  It is an animal of terrible swiftness; the hunter when he finds its young ones carries them off hastily, placing mirrors in the place whence he takes them, and at once escapes on a swift horse.  The panther returning finds the mirrors fixed on the ground and looking into them believes it sees its young; then scratching with its paws it discovers the cheat.  Forthwith, by means of the scent of its young, it follows the hunter, and when this hunter sees the tigress he drops one of the young ones and she takes it, and having carried it to the den she immediately returns to the hunter and does

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the same till he gets into his boat.

CATOBLEPAS.

It is found in Ethiopia near to the source Nigricapo.  It is not a very large animal, is sluggish in all its parts, and its head is so large that it carries it with difficulty, in such wise that it always droops towards the ground; otherwise it would be a great pest to man, for any one on whom it fixes its eyes dies immediately. [Footnote:  Leonardo undoubtedly derived these remarks as to the Catoblepas from Pliny, Hist.  Nat.  VIII. 21 (al. 32):  Apud Hesperios Aethiopas fons est Nigris (different readings), ut plerique existimavere, Nili caput.-----Juxta hunc fera appellatur catoblepas, modica alioquin, ceterisque membris iners, caput tantum praegrave aegre ferens; alias internecio humani generis, omnibus qui oculos ejus videre, confestim morientibus. Aelian, Hist.  An. gives a far more minute description of the creature, but he says that it poisons beasts not by its gaze, but by its venomous breath.  Athenaeus 221 B, mentions both.  If Leonardo had known of these two passages, he would scarcely have omitted the poisonous breath. (H.  MULLER-STRUBING.)]

THE BASILISK.

This is found in the province of Cyrenaica and is not more than 12 fingers long.  It has on its head a white spot after the fashion of a diadem.  It scares all serpents with its whistling.  It resembles a snake, but does not move by wriggling but from the centre forwards to the right.  It is said that one

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of these, being killed with a spear by one who was on horse-back, and its venom flowing on the spear, not only the man but the horse also died.  It spoils the wheat and not only that which it touches, but where it breathes the grass dries and the stones are split.

THE WEASEL.

This beast finding the lair of the basilisk kills it with the smell of its urine, and this smell, indeed, often kills the weasel itself.

THE CERASTES.

This has four movable little horns; so, when it wants to feed, it hides under leaves all of its body except these little horns which, as they move, seem to the birds to be some small worms at play.  Then they immediately swoop down to pick them and the Cerastes suddenly twines round them and encircles and devours them.