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Nov 29, 2009
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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—I

Ichneumon

An animal resembling a weasel, and well worthy of being defended by priest and prince in Egypt, as it feeds on serpents, mice, and other vermin, and is especially fond of crocodiles' eggs, which it scratches out of the sand. According to legend, it steals into the mouths of crocodiles when they gape, and eats out their bowels. The ichneumon is called “Pharaoh's rat.”

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Ichor
Ich Dien
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