Sorry for my harshness - but this statue got the head of a bird of prey! Is this correct? I thought this creature looks like a winged lion ... btw - nevertheless, a fine piece of art anyway ... sorry again. Or ... my native tongue is neither American nor English, is there any difference between a griff-i-n and a griff-o-n?
THE GRIFFIN, OR GRYPHON
THE Griffin is a monster with the body of a lion, the head and
wings of an eagle, and back covered with feathers. Like birds it
builds its nest, and instead of an egg lays an agate therein. It
has long claws and talons of such a size that the people of that
country make them into drinking-cups. India was assigned as the
native country of the Griffins. They found gold in the mountains
and built their nests of it, for which reason their nests were
very tempting to the hunters, and they were forced to keep
vigilant guard over them. Their instinct led them to know where
buried treasures lay, and they did their best to keep plunderers
at a distance. The Arimaspians, among whom the Griffins
flourished, were a one-eyed people of Scythia.
