The Bonasus, the Great Cats, and the Lioness
Bestiary: the bonasus with inward horns and burning dung; sheathed claws of lion, leopard, panther, tiger; the lioness at bay
A page of Leonardo's mirror-script bestiary in pen, holding three short entries. The bonasus, born in Paeonia, has a horse's maned neck but is otherwise like a bull, its horns bent so far inward that it cannot gore; it escapes only by flight, casting burning dung over 400 braccia of its course. A second note observes that lion, leopards, panthers and tigers keep their claws sheathed, unsheathing them only against prey or an enemy. The last entry tells how the lioness, defending her cubs from hunters, lowers her eyes to the ground so as not to be frightened by their spears and driven to flight that would leave her young captive.
On this page
The bonasus and its burning dung
The bonasus, born in Paeonia, has a horse's maned neck but is otherwise like a bull, save that its horns curve so far inward that it cannot gore. Having no defence but flight, it throws dung over 400 braccia of its course, and wherever it touches it burns like fire.
The sheathed claws of the great cats
Lion, leopards, panthers and tigers keep their claws in the sheath and never unsheathe them except upon prey or an enemy.
The lioness shielding her cubs
When the lioness defends her cubs from the hands of hunters, she lowers her eyes to the ground so as not to be frightened by their spears, lest her own flight leave the cubs prisoners.