רחם, Lev. xi, 18; Deut. xiv, 17. As the root of this word
signifies _tenderness_ and _affection_, it is supposed to refer to some
bird remarkable for its attachment to its young; hence some have thought
that the pelican is to be understood; and Bochart endeavours to prove
that the golden vulture is meant; but there can be no doubt that it is
the _percnopterus_ of the ancients, the _ach-bobba_ of the Arabians,
particularly described by Bruce under the name of _rachamah_. He says,
“We know from Horus Apollo, that the _rachma_, or she vulture, was
sacred to Isis, and adorned the statue of the goddess; that it was the
emblem of parental affection; and that it was the hieroglyphic for an
affectionate mother.” He farther says, that “this female vulture, having
hatched her young ones, continues with them one hundred and twenty days,
providing them with all necessaries; and, when the stock of food fails
them, she tears off the fleshy part of her thigh, and feeds them with
that and the blood which flows from the wound.”
Hasselquist thus describes the Egyptian vulture: “The appearance of the
bird is as horrid as can well be imagined. The face is naked and
wrinkled, the eyes are large and black, the beak black and crooked, the
talons large, and extended ready for prey, and the whole body polluted
with filth. These are qualities enough to make the beholder shudder with
horror. Notwithstanding this, the inhabitants of Egypt cannot be enough
thankful to Providence for this bird. All the places round Cairo are
filled with the dead bodies of asses and camels; and thousands of these
birds fly about and devour the carcasses, before they putrify and fill
the air with noxious exhalations.” No wonder that such an animal should
be deemed unclean.
signifies _tenderness_ and _affection_, it is supposed to refer to some
bird remarkable for its attachment to its young; hence some have thought
that the pelican is to be understood; and Bochart endeavours to prove
that the golden vulture is meant; but there can be no doubt that it is
the _percnopterus_ of the ancients, the _ach-bobba_ of the Arabians,
particularly described by Bruce under the name of _rachamah_. He says,
“We know from Horus Apollo, that the _rachma_, or she vulture, was
sacred to Isis, and adorned the statue of the goddess; that it was the
emblem of parental affection; and that it was the hieroglyphic for an
affectionate mother.” He farther says, that “this female vulture, having
hatched her young ones, continues with them one hundred and twenty days,
providing them with all necessaries; and, when the stock of food fails
them, she tears off the fleshy part of her thigh, and feeds them with
that and the blood which flows from the wound.”
Hasselquist thus describes the Egyptian vulture: “The appearance of the
bird is as horrid as can well be imagined. The face is naked and
wrinkled, the eyes are large and black, the beak black and crooked, the
talons large, and extended ready for prey, and the whole body polluted
with filth. These are qualities enough to make the beholder shudder with
horror. Notwithstanding this, the inhabitants of Egypt cannot be enough
thankful to Providence for this bird. All the places round Cairo are
filled with the dead bodies of asses and camels; and thousands of these
birds fly about and devour the carcasses, before they putrify and fill
the air with noxious exhalations.” No wonder that such an animal should
be deemed unclean.