Savery’s designs, I have thought it worth insertion here, together with the accompanying
description, which forms one of Piso’s supplementary chapters to “ Jacobi Bontii Historise
naturahs et medicee Indise Orientalis libri sex/’ contained in “ Gulielmi Pisonis Medici
Amstelsedamensis de Indiae utriusque re naturali et medica libri quatuórdecim.” fol. Amstel-
aedami, 1658.
At chapter xvii., p. 70, we read :—
“ Be Bronte, aliis Dodaers. Inter Ínsulas Indise orientalis, censetur illa quse ab ah'is Cerne
dicitur, a nostratibus Mauritii nomen audit, ob Ebenum nigrum potissimum Celebris. In hac insula
frequens est mirse conformationis avis, Bronte dicta. Magnitudinis intra Strathionem et Galium
Indicum, à quibus ex parte figura discrepat, et ex parte cum iis convenit, imprimis cum Strutbionibus
Africams, si uropygium, pennas, et plumas consideres ; adeo ut Pygmseus quasi inter eos appareat, si
crurum brevitatem respicias. Caeterum capite est magno, deformi, tecto quadam membrana, cucullum
referente. Oculis magms, nigris ; collo curvo, prominente, pingui ; rostro supra modum longo, valido,
ex cceruleo albicante, exceptis extremitatibus, quarum inferior nigricat, superior flavescit, utraque
acuminata, et adunca. Bictu fcedo, admodum patulo, quasi ad ingluviem nato. Corpore obeso,
rotundo, quod mollibus plumis griseis, more Struthionum vestitur : ab utroque latere, loco remigum,
exiguis alis plumatis, ex flavo ciñereis, et pone uropygium, loco caudas, quiñis pinnulis crispís, ejusdem
colorís, decoratur. Crunbus est flavescentibus crassis, sed admodum curtís, quatuor digitis pedis
solidis, longis, quasi squamosis, totidem unguibus validis nigris incedit. Caeterum tardigrada est avis
et stupida, quasque facile prseda fit venatoribus. Caro earum, imprimis pectoris, est pinguis, vesca,
adeoque multa ultras quatuorve Brontes centenis sociis saturandis aliquando suffecerint. Si non probe
elixentür, vel veteres sint, difficilioris sunt concoctionis, et salitse in penu reconduntur.
Bapilh diversse formas et magmtudims, cinerci coloris, in ventriculo harum avium reperiuntur, non
tarnen ibi nati, ut vulgus et pubes nautica arbitratur, sed in littore devorati, quasi et hoc quoque signo
cum Struthionis natura aves has participare constaret, quod durissima quseque deglutiant, nec tamen
digerant.”
The 13th historical testimony which I have to adduce is contained in a small tract in the
Ashmolean Museum (Ashm. Printed Books, No. 967), Of this there are two editions, the
first without date, and entitled “ A Catalogue of part of those Rarities collected in thirty
years time with a great deal of Pains and Industry, by one of his Majestie’s sworn Servants,
R. H. alias Porges, Gentleman. They are to be seen at the place formerly called the Musique
House at the West end of Pauls.” Here, among other rarities, we find at p. 11, “ A Dodo’s
Leg, it is a bird that cannot flye. The second edition is entitled, “ A Catalogue of many
natural rarities with great industry, cost, and thirty years travel in foraign Countries collected
by Robert Hubert alias Porges, Gent, and sworn servant to his Majesty. And daily to be
seen at the place formerly called the Music House near the West end of St. Paul’s Church.”
12mo, London, 1665. At page 11 is the following entry: “ A legge of a Dodo, a great
heavy bird that cannot fly; it is a Bird of the Mauricius Island.” In all probability this is
the same specimen that afterwards passed into the collection of the Royal Society, and is
mentioned in the catalogue of their “ Natural and artificial Rarities,” published by Grew in
1681, who thus describes i t :—
“ The leg of a D o d o ................. The leg here preserved is covered with a reddish yellow scale.
Not much above four inches long; yet above five in thickness, or round about the joynts : wherein
though it be inferior to that of an Ostrich or Cassoary, yet joyned with its shortness, may render..it of
almost equal strength.”—p. 60.
This specimen is now preserved in the British Museum, and I shall n’otice it hereafter under
the head of Anatomical Evidences.1
14. Olearius, in his Catalogue of the Gottorf Museum at Copenhagen, of which the first
edition was published in 1666, enumerates, among other curiosities, a Dodo’s head. He also
gives a figure of the bird in pi. 13, f. 5, which however is merely a copy from that of Clusius
(p. 12, swpra:). The following are-his words:—
“ Num. 5 ist ein Kopff von einem frembden Vogel welchen Clusius Gallum peregrinum, Nieren-
bergius Cygnum cucullatum, die Holländer aber Walghvogel, vom Eckel den sie wegen des harten
Fleisches machen sollen, nennen. Die Holländer sollen zu erst solchen Vogel auff der Insel Mauritius
angetroffen haben; sol auch keine Flügel, sondern an dessen Stat zwo Pinnen haben, gleich wie die
Erneu und Pinguinen. Clus, exot.”—Olearius, Gottorfische Kunstkammer. 4to, Schleswig, ed. of 1674.
1 R bas been supposed that this is the same leg as that described by Clusius (supra, p. 16), but there are certain
discrepancies in the measurements which render this doubtful.