"The Chinese call the dragon 'lung' because it is deaf. It is the
largest of scaly animals, and it has nine characteristics. Its head is
like a camel's, its horns like a deer's, its eyes like a hare's, its
ears like a bull's, its neck like an iguana's, its scales like those
of a carp, its paws like a tiger's, and its claws like an eagle's. It
has nine times nine scales, it being the extreme of a lucky number. On
each side of its mouth are whiskers, under its chin a bright pearl, on
the top of its head the 'poh shan' or foot-rule, without which it
cannot ascend to heaven. The scales of its throat are reversed. Its
breath changes into clouds from which come either fire or rain. The
dragon is fond of the flesh of sparrows and swallows, it dreads the
centipede and silk dyed of five colours. It is also afraid of iron. In
front of its horns it carries a pearl of bluish colour striated with
more or less symbolical lines."
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