Sykes' History of Persia - Heritage Institute

52 HISTORY OF PERSIA chap, m
Next perhaps in
general utility to the date-palm were
the enormous reeds, from which huts, matting, and boats
were alike constructed. Fish, too, formed a
staple
article
of food, especially the barbel and carp. There is also the
amphibious fish termed the goby, which is equally
at home
in the water or out of it.
Of big game we know that the elephant and the urus
were hunted by the early monarchs and the ; hippopotamus
had at this period but recently disappeared. The lion, the
leopard, the wild ass, the wild boar, the gazelle survive,
and are still plentiful, except the first named, which ii
gradually becoming extinct. Jackals are common, bul
wolves and hyenas are rare. Of small game, the common
francolin and the quail
inhabit the scrub in the vicinity oi
the crops, and the ostrich and bustard may be found on
the borders of the desert, though the ostrich is very rare
to-day : but above it Babylon was abundant and hunted
by the soldiers of Cyrus the Younger, as may be read in<
the pages of Xenophon/ The marshes during winter teem
with geese, duck, and snipe. Cranes, herons, and other
aquatic
birds abound.
1
Anabasis, i. 5. 3.