The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Mythological Zoo

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Mythological Zoo

Author: Oliver Herford

Release date: December 6, 2007 [eBook #23749]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Geetu Melwani and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was

produced from images generously made available by The

Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYTHOLOGICAL ZOO ***

The Mythological Zoo

By

Oliver Herford

New York - Charles Scribner's Sons

1912

Copyright, 1912, by Oliver Herford

Published September, 1912

To

Elwyn Barron

With Affectionate Regard

Contents

Page

Medusa

2

The Siren

4

The Dolphin

6

The Cockatrice

8

Cerberus

10

The Sphinx

12

The Sea Serpent

14

The Salamander

16

The Jinn

18

The Mermaid

20

The Unicorn

22

The Satyr

24

The Gargoyle

26

The Chimera

28

The Phœnix

30

The Gryphon

32

The Harpy

34

The Centaur

36

Pegasus

38

The Hydra

40

The Hyppogriff

42

The Minotaur

44

The Mythological Zoo

Medusa

How did Medusa do her hair?

The question fills me with despair.

It must have caused her sore distress

That head of curling snakes to dress.

Whenever after endless toil

She coaxed it finally to coil,

The music of a Passing Band

Would cause each separate hair to stand

On end and sway and writhe and spit,—

She couldn't "do a thing with it."

And, being woman and aware

Of such disaster to her hair,

What could she do but petrify

All whom she met, with freezing eye?

The Siren

The Siren may be said to be

The Chorus-Lady of the Sea;

Tho' Mermaids claim her as their kin,

Instead of fishy tail and fin

Two shapely feet rejoice the view

(With all that appertains thereto).

When to these other charms we add

A voice that drives the hearer mad,

Who will dispute her claim to be

The Chorus-Lady of the Sea?

The Dolphin

The Dolphin was, if you should wish

To call him so,—the King of Fish.

Though having neither gills nor scales,

His title should be Prince of Whales.

While too small waisted to provide

A Jonah with a Berth Inside,

The Dolphin has been known to pack

A Drowning Sailor on his back

And bear him safely into port,—

He was a Taxi-whale, in short.

The Cockatrice

If you will listen to advice

You will avoid the Cockatrice—

A caution I need hardly say

Wholly superfluous to-day.

Yet had you lived when they were rife

Such warning might have saved your life.

To meet the Cockatrice's eye

Means certain death—and that is why

When I its features here portray

I make it look the other way.

O Cockatrice! were you so mean

What must the Henatrice have been!

Cerberus

Dear Reader, should you chance to go

To Hades, do not fail to throw

A "Sop to Cerberus" at the gate,

His anger to propitiate.

Don't say "Good dog!" and hope thereby

His three fierce Heads to pacify.

What though he try to be polite

And wag his Tail with all his might,

How shall one amiable Tail

Against three angry Heads prevail?

The Heads must win.—What puzzles me

Is why in Hades there should be

A Watch dog; 'tis, I should surmise,

The last place one would burglarize.

The Sphinx

She was half Lady and half cat—

What is so wonderful in that?

Half of our lady friends (so say

The other half) are Cats to-day.

In Egypt she made quite a stir,

They carved huge Images of her.

Riddles she asked of all she met

And all who answered wrong, she ate.

When Œdipus her riddle solved

The minx—I mean the Sphinx—dissolved

In tears. What is there, when one thinks,

So wonderful about the Sphinx?

The Sea Serpent

O wondrous worm that won the Height

Of Fame by keeping out of sight!

Never was known on Land or Sea

Such a Colossal Modesty;

Never such arrogant pretence

Of Ostentatious Diffidence.

Celebrity whom none has seen,

Save some Post Prandial Marine,

No magazine can reproduce

Your Photograph.—Oh, what's the use

Of doing things when one may be

So Famous a Nonentity!

The Salamander

The Salamander made his bed

Among the glowing embers red.

A Fiery Furnace, to his mind,

Hygiene and Luxury combined.

He was, if I may put it so,

A Saurian Abednigo.

He loved to climb with nimble ease

The branches of the Gas-log Trees

Where oft on chilly winter nights

He rose to dizzy Fahrenheits.

Believers in Soul Transmigration

See in him the Re-incarnation

Of those Sad Plagues of summer, who

Ask, "Is it hot enough for you?"

The Jinn

To call a Jinn the only thing

One needed was a magic ring.

You rubbed the ring and forth there came

A monster born of smoke and flame,

A thing of Vapor, Fume and Glare

Ready to waft you anywhere.

The magic Jinns of yesterday

The wand of Science now obey.

You ring, and lo! with rush and roar

The panting monster's at the door,

A thing of Vapor, Fume and Glare

Ready to take you anywhere.

What's in a name? What choice between

The Giants, Jinn and Gasolene?

The Mermaid

Although a Fishwife in a sense,

She does not barter Fish for Pence.

Fisher of Men, her Golden Nets

For foolish Sailormen she sets.

All day she combs her hair and longs

For Dimpled Feet and Curling-tongs.

All night she dreams in ocean caves

Of Low tide Shoes and Marcel Waves.

And while the Fishwife, making sales,

May sell her wares upon her scales,

The Mermaid, wonderful to tell,

Must wear her scales upon hersel'.

The Unicorn

The Unicorn 's a first-rate sort.

He helps the Lion to support

The royal arms of England's King

And keep the Throne from tottering.

I wonder what the King would do

If his supporters all withdrew?

Perhaps he'd try the Stage; a Throne

Should be an easy stepping-stone

To histrionic Heights, and who

Knows till he tries what he can do?

The King, with diligence and care,

Might rise to be a Manager.

The Satyr

The Satyr lived in times remote,

A shape half-human and half-goat,

Who, having all Man's faults combined

With a Goat's nature unrefined,

Was not what you would call a bright

Example or a shining light.

Far be it from me to condone

The Satyr's sins, yet I must own

I like to think there were a few

Young Satyrs who to Heaven flew,

And when Saint Peter, thunder browed,

Seeing them, cried, "No goats allowed!"

Although the gate slammed quickly to,

Somehow their human halves got through;

Whereat the kindly saint relented,

And that's how Cherubs were invented.

The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle often makes its perch

On a cathedral or a church,

Where, mid ecclesiastic style,

It smiles an early-Gothic smile.

And while the parson, dignified,

Spouts at his weary flock inside,

The Gargoyle, from its lofty seat,

Spouts at the people in the street,

And, like the parson, seems to say

To those beneath him, "Let us spray."

I like the Gargoyle best; it plays

So cheerfully on rainy days,

While parsons (no one can deny)

Are awful dampers—when they're dry.

The Chimera

You'd think a lion or a snake

Were quite enough one's nerves to shake;

But in this classic beast we find

A lion and a snake combined,

And, just as if that weren't enough,

A goat thrown in to make it tough.

Let scientists the breed pooh! pooh!

Come with me to some Social Zoo

And hear the bearded Lion bleat

Goat-like on patent-kidded feet,

Whose "Civil leer and damning praise"

The serpent's cloven tongue betrays.

Lo! lion, goat, and snake combined!

Thus Nature doth repeat her kind.

The Phœnix

The Phœnix was, as you might say,

The burning question of his day:

The more he burned, the more he grew

Splendiferous in feathers new.

And from his ashes rising bland,

Did business at the same old stand.

But though good people went about

And talked, they could not put him out.

A wond'rous bird—indeed, they say

He is not quite extinct to-day.

The Gryphon

It chanced that Allah, looking round,

When he had made his creatures, found

Half of an Eagle and a pair

Of extra Lion legs to spare.

So, hating waste, he took some glue

And made a Gryphon of the two.

But when his handiwork he eyed,

He frowned—and it was petrified,

Doomed for all time to represent

Impatience on a monument.

Sometimes upon our path to-day

Its living counterpart will stray—

Columbia's Eagle strutting in

An awf'ly English Lion's skin,

With glass in eye and swagg'ring gait:

Behold the Gryphon up to date.

The Harpy

They certainly contrived to raise

Queer ladies in the olden days.

Either the type had not been fixed,

Or else Zoology got mixed.

I envy not primeval man

This female on the feathered plan.

We only have, I'm glad to say,

Two kinds of human bird to-day—

Women and warriors, who still

Wear feathers when dressed up to kill.

The Centaur

The Centaur led a double life:

Two natures in perpetual strife

He had, that never could agree

On what the bill-of-fare should be;

For when the man-half set his heart

On taking dinner à la carte,

The horse was sure to cast his vote

Unswervingly for table d'OAT.

A pretty sort of life to lead;

The horse in time went off his feed,

The hungry man was nigh demented,

When one day—OATMEAL was invented!

Pegasus

The ancients made no end of fuss

About a horse named Pegasus,

A famous flyer of his time,

Who often soared to heights sublime,

When backed by some poetic chap

For the Parnassus Handicap.

Alas for fame! The other day

I saw an ancient "one-hoss shay"

Stop at the Mont de Piété,

And, lo! alighting from the same,

A bard, whom I forbear to name.

Noting the poor beast's rusty hide

(The horse, I mean), methought I spied

What once were wings. Incredulous,

I cried, "Can this be Pegasus!"

The Hydra

The Hydra Hercules defied,

Its nine diminished heads must hide

Before the baneful modern beast

Who has a thousand heads at least.

See how in horrid tiers they rise,

With straining ears and bulging eyes,

While, blinded by fierce calcium rays,

The trembling victim tribute pays

Of song or measure, mime or jest,

To soothe the savage Hydra's breast.

If she please not the monster's whim,

Wild scribes will tear her limb from limb;

Even if charmed, he rend the air

With hideous joy, let her beware;

For she must surely, soon or late,

Fall 'neath the hissing Hydra's hate.

The Hyppogriff

Biologists are prone to sniff

At hybrids like the Hyppogriff.

In evolution's plan, they say,

There is no place for such as they.

A horse with wings could not have more

Than two legs, and this beast had four.

Well, I for one am glad to waive

Two of his legs, his wings to save.

I'd even sell my auto—if

I had one—for a Hyppogriff.

The Minotaur

No book of monsters is complete

Without the Minotaur of Crete.

Yet should I draw him you would quail,

So in his place I draw a veil.

O stars, that from Creation's birth

Have winked at everything on earth,

Who shine where poets fear to tread,

Relate the story in my stead!

*    *    *    *    *     *    *    *    *

*    *    *    *    *     *    *    *    *

Although it's comforting to know

That Theseus slew him long ago,

We need not boast, we too could do

With—well, a Theseus or two.

The End.

BOOKS BY OLIVER HERFORD

WITH PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR

PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

The Bashful Earthquake

$1.25

A Child's Primer Of Natural History

$1.25

Overheard In A Garden

$1.25

More Animals

net, $1.00

The Rubaiyat Of A Persian Kitten

net, $1.00

The Fairy Godmother-in-law

net, $1.00

A Little Book Of Bores

net, $1.00

The Peter Pan Alphabet

net, $1.00

The Astonishing Tale Of A Pen-and-ink Puppet

net, $1.00

A Kitten's Garden Of Verses

net, $1.00

The Mythological Zoo

net, .75

With John Cecil Clay

Cupid's Cyclopedia

net, $1.00

Cupid's Fair-weather Booke

net, $1.00

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYTHOLOGICAL ZOO ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

Table of Contents

The Mythological Zoo

Oliver Herford

Contents

The Mythological Zoo

Medusa

The Siren

The Dolphin

The Cockatrice

Cerberus

The Sphinx

The Sea Serpent

The Salamander

The Jinn

The Mermaid

The Unicorn

The Satyr

The Gargoyle

The Chimera

The Phœnix

The Gryphon

The Harpy

The Centaur

Pegasus

The Hydra

The Hyppogriff

The Minotaur

The End.

BOOKS BY OLIVER HERFORD

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE