" De Vogelen (daar't van vol is) zijn van allerhande slag : Duyvcn, Papcgayen, lndischc-Ravcns,
Sparwers, Valken, Lijsters, Vlen, Swaluwcn, en menigten van 't kleyn gevleugelt goct ; witte en swarte
Reygers, Gansens, Eent-Vogels, Dod-aarsen, Schil-padden, Koeyen vander zee."—fol. 19, p. 2.
" Waren de Scheep-lieden alle dagen uyt om Vogelen en meer andere gedierten (diese op 't Landt
vinden konden) te jagen, daar benevens hieldense nau op, met de Zegens, Hoeken, en andere vissing in
de weer te zijn; viervoetige gedierten, uytgezondert Katten, zijnder niet, de onse hebben namaels daar
Boeken, Geyten en Vcrkcns op-geplant: De Reygeren toonden haar ongetemder als andere Vogelen,
waren niet wel te krijgen, vermits haar vlugt in de dichte tacken der Boomen; zy grepen Vogelen
by sommige Dod-aarsen, by sommige Dronten genaamt; kregen den naam van Wallieh-Vogels, ten
tijden dat Jacob van Nek hier was, om datse door t' lang zieden naulijx marrow wilden, toy en hard
bleven, uytgesondert de borst en maag die seer goet waren, ook om datse door de overvloedige Torteldutjes
(diese konde bekomen) genoegsaamde de walg kregen van de gemelde Dod-aarsen; haar
afbeeltsel is in de voorige Plaat; sy hebben groote hoofden, en daar kapkens op, zijn sonder vleugelen
en staarten, hebben alleen ter zyden kleine wiekxkens, achter vier of vijf veerkeus, wat meer verhieven
van de andere; hebben bekken en voeten, en gemenelijk in de maag een steen eens vuysten groote
hebbende."—fol. 21, p. 1.
"De Dod-aarsen met haar ronde stuyten, mosten (om datse wel gevoedt waren) mede stuyt keren;
't was al in rep en roer wat sig maar reppen kond, de Visschen die voor eenige jaren vredig leefden,
wierden in de diepste water-kuylen na-gejaagt," &c.—Fol. 21, p. 2.
" Den 25 (Julius) bracht Willem met zijn matrosen eenige Dod-aarsen die seer vet waren; Scheep,
al't scheepvolk, hadden aan drie of vier tot een maal-tijdt genoeg te kluyven, en daar schoot noch
over Sie schikten gerookte Vis, en ook gesouten Dod-aarsen, nevens Land-Schil-padden,
en andere Vogelen, aan boordt, welke voor-sorg daar na wel te bate quam. Waren hier mede nog
eenige dagen doende en besig aan 't Schip te brengen; de Matrosen van Willem brachten op den 4
van Oegst-maandt 50 grote Vogelen in de Bruyn-Vis, hier onder waren 24 of 25 Dod-aarsen, so groot
en swaar datser ter maaltijd geen twee dar van opeten mogten, al watter voorts over was, wierd' in 't
sout gesmeten."—Fol. 22, p. 2.
" 'S anderen-daags toog Ilogevcen (S\ illems Coopman) met vier matrosen uyt de tent, versien met
stocken, netten, mosqueten, en ander gereetschap, op de Jacht, rende Heuvel en Berg op, liepen Bosch
en Valcy door, en vingen in de drie dagen datse uyt waren by de ander-half-hondert Vogelen, en
onder de selve wel 20 Dronten of Dod-aarsen, diese alle 't Scheep brachten en in 't sout staken, sulx
warense vorder, nevens 't andere volk vande vloot, in 't Vogelen en Visschen besig."—Fol. 23, p. 1.
TRANSLATION.
" The birds (of which the island is full) are of all kinds : Doves, Parrots, Indian Crows, Sparrows,
Hawks, Thrushes, Owls (?), Swallows, and many small birds; white and black Herons, Geese, Ducks,
Dodos, Tortoises, Sea-cows.
" The sailors were out every day to hunt for birds and other game, such as they could find on the
land, while they became less active with their nets, hooks, and other fishing tackle. No quadrupeds
occur there except Cats, though our countrymen have subsequently introduced Goats and Swine. The
Herons were less tame than the other birds, and were difficult to procure, owing to their flying amongst
the thick branches of the trees. They also caught birds which some name Dod-aarseit, others Dronten ;
when Jacob van Neck was here, these birds were called Wallkh-Yogelx, because even a long boiling
would scarcely make them tender, but they remained tough and hard, with the exception of the breast
and belly, which were very good; and also, because, from the abundance of Turtle-doves which the
men procured, they became disgusted with the Dodos. The figure of these birds is given in the
accompanying plate; they have great heads, with hoods thereon; they are without wings or tail, and
have only little winglets on their sides, and four or five feathers behind, more elevated than the rest.
They have beaks and feet, and commonly in the stomach a stone the size of a fist.1
"The Dodos, with their round stems, (for they were well fattened,) were also obliged to turn tail;
everything that could move was in a bustle; the fish, which had lived in peace for many a year, were
pursued into the deepest water-pools
" On the 25th July, Willem and his sailors brought some Dodos which were very fat; the whole
crew made an ample meal from three or four of them, and a portion remained over They
sent on board smoked fish, salted Dodos, Land-tortoises, and other game, which supply was very
acceptable. They were busy for some days bringing provisions to the sliip. On the 4th of August
Willem's men brought 50 large birds on board the Bniyn-Tis; among them were 24 or 25 Dodos, so
large and heavy, that they could not eat any two of them for dinner, and all that remained over was
salted.
" Another day, Hogeveen (Willem's supercargo) set out from the tent with four seamen, provided
with sticks, nets, muskets, and other necessaries for hunting. They climbed up mountain and hill,
roamed through forest and valley, and during the tliree days that they were out they captured another
half hundred of birds, including a matter of 20 Dodos, all which they brought on board and salted.
Thus were they, and the other crews in the, fleet, occupied in fowling and fishing."
This account is accompanied by a very rude plate, intended to represent the " Scheeplieden"
killing Dodos; but as the artist has evidently taken Penguins as his models, I do not
repeat this engraving. At the foot of the plate are these lines:—
" Victali socktmcn hier en vices van't pluim gedicrt,
Der pallembomen sap, de drontcn rond van stuitcn,
't Wylnicn de papegai hout dat hij piept en tiert,
En doet dat and're mecr ook raaken inder miuten."
Which may be thus Englished :—
" For food the seamen hunt the flesh of feathered fowl,
They tap the Palms, the round-sterned Dodos they destroy,
The Parrot's life they spare that he may scream and howl,
And thus his fellows to imprisonment decoy."
I t is not easy to determine the date when the synonymous words Dodars, from which
our name Dodo is derived, and Bronte were first introduced. The earliest apparent authority
for their use is this voyage of Willem van West-Zanen, but his Journal, though written in
1003, seems to have been unpublished till 1C48, and these names may therefore have been
interpolated among the other alterations made in Willem's text by his editor Soetcboom.
Matelief's Journal, again, which speaks of Dodaersen, otherwise Dronten, was written in 1606,
and Van der llagen's in 1607, but I have seen no edition of either work earlier than
1 This description is evidently extracted from Matelief's Voyage.—Vide infra, p. 17.
F