Aiton’s Encyclopedia
A Practical Reference Library in Five Volumes — keyed from the public-domain original
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Proteus

in classical mythology, a deity of the sea. Proteus fed Neptune's seals in the Aegean Sea. He had the power of telling fortunes and was much in demand as a soothsayer. He was averse to being consulted and, in order to escape observation, was accustomed to change his form into that of a beast or tree, or even into fire or water.

Volume IV · Aiton’s Encyclopedia