No. 23.—The Gryphon.

THE GRYPHON, OR griffon, or griffin, or γρύφων, is a creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion; which means, by inevitable natural symmetry, that somewhere in this wide world there is a creature with the head of a lion and the body of an eagle, and wherever it is Dr. Boli would recommend staying out of its way.

As birds (or mammals) of prey, gryphons are forced to spend much of their time hunting. Their unusual metabolism compels them to restrict their diet to other portmanteau beasts, such as sphinxes, or basilisks, or chimeras. It is not as easy to find a chimera as you might think, and gryphons are commonly hungry, which makes them not a little irascible; it is therefore vitally important, if you should meet a gryphon, that you should not irasce him. Otherwise, gryphons are generally harmless, and useful in keeping down excessive populations of satyrs and other pests. If you find gryphons roosting in your attic, you may be assured that they are earning their room and board by keeping your house free from minotaurs.

Allegorically, the gryphon represents the frozen-succotash industry, succotash being another monstrous hybrid.