MA-ḤES 𓌳𓎛𓎿𓋴𓁻, the Lion-god; lion-goddesses were numerous, _e.g._, Sekhet, Pekhth, Tefnut, etc. MAFṬET 𓌳𓄿𓆑𓐰𓂧𓐰𓏏𓪢, the Lynx-goddess. BAST 𓎯𓏏𓐰𓆇𓣃, the Cat-goddess; the word for “cat” was _Mȧu_ 𓏇𓇋𓅱𓃠. ȦNPU 𓇋𓈖𓐰𓊪𓐱𓅱𓝱, the Dog, or Jackal-god. APUAT 𓄋𓐰𓈐𓝱, the Wolf-god. KHATRU 𓆼𓄿𓏏𓐰𓂋𓅱, the Ichneumon-god. The following =birds= were sacred: The phoenix, _Bennu_ 𓃀𓈖𓐰𓏌𓐱𓅱𓅣; the vulture, _Nerȧu_ 𓈖𓐰𓂋𓇋𓅱𓅐; the hawk, _Bȧk_ 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄; the hawk of gold, _Bȧk en nub_ 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄𓈖𓋞𓐰𓈒𓐱𓏦; the divine hawk, _Bȧk netri_, 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄𓊹𓏏𓐰𓂋𓐰𓏭𓏜; the ibis, _Habû_ 𓉔𓄿𓃀𓅱𓅝; the swallow, _Ment_ 𓏠𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓅨; the goose, 𓅬, of which there were several kinds; etc. The following =reptiles= and =insects= were sacred: the turtle, _Āpesh_ 𓂝𓐰𓊪𓐰𓈚𓆉, or _Sheta_ 𓈚𓐰𓏏𓄿𓆉; the snake, _Sa-ta_ 𓅭𓇾𓐰𓏤𓐱𓈇; the scorpion, _Serk_ 𓋴𓂋𓐰𓎡𓷲; the _Āpshait_ beetle, 𓂝𓐰𓊪𓆷𓄿𓇌𓆤; the “praying mantis”, _Ābit_ 𓍋𓃀𓇋𓇋𓏏𓅬; the grasshopper, _Saneḥemu_, 𓅭𓈖𓐰𓈞𓅓𓅱𓆧; _Kheprerȧ_ the beetle, _Scarabaeus sacer_, 𓆣𓂋𓐰𓂋𓇋𓅬. The following =fish= were sacred: The _Ȧbṭu_ 𓋁𓃀𓂧𓅱𓆟; the _Ȧnt_ 𓇋𓆛𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓆟, which announced the rise of the Nile; the _Āḥa_ 𓂚𓄿𓆟; the _Āṭ_ 𓂝𓐰𓂧𓆟; the _Utu_ 𓎘𓅱𓆟; the _Meḥit_ 𓎖𓎛𓇌𓏏𓐰𓆟; the _Nār_ 𓈖𓐰𓂝𓐰𓂋𓆟; etc. Classical writers mention the Oxyrhynchus, the Phagrus, the Latus, the Lepidotus, the Silurus, the Maeotes, etc., but authorities differ in their identifications. =Number of the gods.=—As every district, city, town, and village possessed a god, with a female counterpart and a son, and also a being of evil, or devil, to say nothing of the creatures who, in modern times, would be called vaguely “spirits,” or “fairies,” it follows that the “gods” of the Egyptians must have been very numerous. The names of a great many have been lost, but about 200 gods are mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, about 480 in the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead, and about 1,200 in the various works which deal with the Other World; a total of about 2,200 names has been noted. The Egyptians tried to reduce the large number of their gods by declaring that their gods were merely _forms_ of the great Sun-god Rā, who was said to have “created the names of his members, which became the gods who are in the following of Rā” (Book of the Dead, xvii, 11). The Egyptian system of =Polytheism= (not Pantheism) appears to have been well suited to the early conditions of the country, but several facts make it certain that attempts were made by the priests to give their religion a distinctly monotheistic character. The results of their endeavours in this respect find expression in many texts. Under the Ancient Empire we read in the Pyramid Texts of a God who was the lord of heaven, who gave life to the dead, and who was entirely different in every way from the “gods.” In Moral Precepts we have such phrases as: “The things which God doeth cannot be known.” “The eating of