. Symbolism of animals and birds represented in English church architecture . 36a. 36b CHAPTER IX THE BASILISK OR COCKATRICE ANDCENTAUR The mediaeval ideas about the basilisk orcockatrice are so curious and exaggerated,that we are constrained to place it in our listof fabulous and mythical animals ; thoughin reality it is only a harmless lizard, whichcan blow up its conical crest with wind. The cockatrice is sometimes mentionedin our Authorised Version of the Bible, withan adder generally as the alternative transla-tion (cp. Jer. viii. 17, Prov. xxiii. 32 (margin),Is. xi. 8, lix. 5, xiv. 29).

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. Symbolism of animals and birds represented in English church architecture . 36a. 36b CHAPTER IX THE BASILISK OR COCKATRICE ANDCENTAUR The mediaeval ideas about the basilisk orcockatrice are so curious and exaggerated,that we are constrained to place it in our listof fabulous and mythical animals ; thoughin reality it is only a harmless lizard, whichcan blow up its conical crest with wind. The cockatrice is sometimes mentionedin our Authorised Version of the Bible, withan adder generally as the alternative transla-tion (cp. Jer. viii. 17, Prov. xxiii. 32 (margin),Is. xi. 8, lix. 5, xiv. 29). The Revised Versionuses the word basilisk either in the text ormargin of these passages. The chief character-istic of the basilisk or cockatrice in the Bibleis its bite or sting, but there is not much in theBible to give encouragement to the strongimagination of the Bestiaries. This littlelizard is held to be the king of serpents, henceits name. The wart or hood on its head wasthought to resemble a crown. In the thirteenthcentury Bestiary at the British Museum(Harl. 4751) the b

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