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Ibis
or Nile-bird. The Egyptians call the sacred Ibis Father John. It is the avatar' of the god Thoth, who in the guise
of an Ibis escaped the pursuit of Typhon. The Egyptians say its white
plumage symbolises the light of the sun, and its black neck the shadow
of the moon, its body a heart, and its legs a triangle. It was said to
drink only the purest of water, and its feathers to scare or even kill
the crocodile. It is also said that the bird is so fond of Egypt that
it would pine to death if transported elsewhere. It appears at the rise
of the Nile, but disappears at its inundation. If, indeed, it devours
crocodiles' eggs, scares away the crocodiles themselves, devours
serpents and all sorts of noxious reptiles and insects, no wonder it
should be held in veneration, and that it is made a crime to kill it. (See Birds.)
Ibis.
The Nile-bird, says Solius, “rummages in the mud of the Nile for
serpents' eggs, her most favourite food.”
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Ibis from Infoplease:
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