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 Historial!
naturalis et medicas India? Orientalis libri sex," contained in " Gulielmi Pisonis Medici
Anistelsedamensis de India; utriusque re naturali et medica libri quatuordecim." fol. Amsteliedami,
1658.
At chapter xvii., p. 70, we read:—
" De Droute, aliis Dodaers. Inter Ínsulas India; orientalis, censetur ilia qua; ab aliis Cerne
dieitur, a nostratibus Mauritii nomen audit, ob Ebenum nigrum potissimum Celebris. In hac insula
frequens est mira; conformationis avis, Bronte dicta. Magnitudinis intra Struthioneni et Galium
Indieum, á quibus ex parte iigura discrepat, et ex parte cum iis convenit, imprimis cum Strutbionibus
Africanis, si uropygium, pennas, et plumas consideres; adeo ut Pyguiams quasi inter cos appareat, si
crurum brcvitatem rcspicias. Cteterum capite est magno, deformi, tccto qnadam membrana, cuculliim
referente. Ocuhs magiüs, nigris; eolio curvo, prominente, pingui; rostro supra modum longo, valido,
ex ccoruleo albicante, exceptis extremitatibus, (]uaruin inferior nigricat, superior llaveseit, atraque
aciuninata, et adunca. Rictu fccdo, admodum patulo, quasi ad ingluviem nato. Corpore obeso,
rotundo, quod niollibus plumis griseis, more Struthionuui vestitur: ab atraque latere, loco remiguin,
exiguis alis plumatis, ex flavo ciñereis, et pone uropygium, loco cauda;, (minis pinnulis crispís, cjusdcm
colorís, decoratur. Cruribus est flavescentibus crassis, sed admodum curtís, quatuor digit is pedis
solidis, longis, (ptasi squamosis, totidem unguibus validis nigris incedit. Caeterum tardigrada est avis
et stupida, quanpie facile pra'da fit venatoribus. Caro earum, imprimis pectoris, est pingáis, vesca,
adeoquc multa ut tres quatuorve Brontes centenis sociis saturandis aliquando suffecerint. Si non probe
elixentur, vel vcteres sint, difficilioris sunt concoctioms, et salita; in penu recondimtur.
Lapilli diversa; forma; et magnitudinis, cinerei coloris, in ventriculo harum avium reperiuntur, non
tamen ibi nati, ut vulgus et pubes nautica arbitratm-, sed in littore devorati, quasi et hoc quoque signo
cmn Struthionis natura aves has participare constaret, quod durissima quieque 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 Forges, 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 Forges, 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 Dodo 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 notice 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, s/cjj)-a). The following are his words:—
" Num. 5 ist ein Koplf von cinem frembden Vogel welchen Clusius Galium peregrinum, Nierenbergius
Cygnum eucullatum, die Hollander aber "Walgli vogel, vom Eckel den sie wegen des hart en
Fleisches machen sollen, nennen. Die Hollander sollen zu erst solchen Vogel aoff der Insel Mauritius
angetroffen haben; sol auch keinc Fliigel, sondern an (lessen Stat zwo Pitmen haben, gleich wie die
Emeu und Pinguinen. Clus. exot."—Olearius, Gottorfische Kunstkammer. 4to, Schlcswig. ed. of 1674.
1 It has 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.