Marie McC posted a closeup of this strange beast on Alexandria Daily Photo. Here he is, perched on a column to guard the house. (I seem to be on a statue kick this week.)
He is a chimera—that is, a mythical creature made up of parts of other animals. This one appears to have bat’s wings, a lion’s head and body, and eagle‘s talons. Clearly he’s a bleagle.
According to Greek mythology, Bellerophon, riding Pegasus, the winged horse he tamed for the occasion, killed the original Chimaera, a fire-breathing monster that was part lion, part goat, and part serpent.
I’m glad to see that this one is on a sturdy leash.
washingtondcdailyphoto.wordpress.com 