Mr. Duncan on the Dodo^ 565 



eyes be round and small, and bright as diamonds; her cloathing 

 is of finest downo, such as you see in goslins : her trayne is (like 

 a China beard) of three or foure short feathers ; her legs thick, 

 and black, and strong ; her tallons or pounces sharp, her stomack 

 fiery hot, so as stones and iron are easily digested in it ; in that 

 and shape, not a little resembling the Africk Oestriches : but so 

 much, as for their more certain difference I dare to give thee 

 (with two others) her representation." (See p. 236. f. 3). 



Jacobi Bontii Hist. Natural. & Medic. Lib. v. p. 70. Comment, 

 a Gul. Pisone. 1658. Caput xvii. Jppendix, De Dronte^ aliis 

 Dod-aers. 



'' Inter insulas Indiae orientalis, censetur ilia quae ab aliis Cerne 

 dicitur, a, nostratibus Mauritii nomen audit, ob Ebenum nigrum 

 potissimum Celebris. In hac insula frequens est mirae conforma- 

 tionis avis Dronte dicta. Magnitudinis intra Struthionem & Galium 

 Indicum, a quibus ex parte figura discrepat, & ex parte cum iis 

 convenit, imprimis cum Struthionibus Africanis, si uropygiura, 

 pennas, & plumas consideres ; adeo ut Pygmaeus quasi inter eos 

 appareat, si crurum brevitatem respicias. Caeterum capite est 

 magno, deformi, tecto quadam membrana, cucullum referente. 

 Oculis magnis, nigris ; collo curvo, prominente, pingui ; rostro 

 supra modum longo, valido, ex cceruleo albicante, exceptis extre- 

 mitatibus, quarum inferior nigricat, superior flavescit, utraque 

 acuminata & adunca : Rictu foedo, admodum patulo, quasi ad 

 ingluviem nato. Corpore obeso, rotundo, quod moUibus plumis, 

 griseis, more Struthionum vestitur : ab utroque latere, loco re- 

 migum, exiguis alis plumatis, ex flavo cinereis, & pone uropygium, 

 loco caudae, quinis pennulis crispis, ejusdem coloris, decoratur. 

 Cruribus est flavescentibus, crassis, sed admodum curtis, quatuor 

 digitis pedis solidis, longis, quasi squamosis, totidem unguibus 

 validis nigris incedit. Caeterum tardigrada est avis & stupida, 

 quaeque facile prasda fit venatoribus. Caro earum, imprimis pec- 

 toris, est pinguis, vesca, adeoque multa, ut tres quatuorve Drontes 

 centenis sociis saturandis aliquando suffecerint. Si non probe 

 elixentur, vel veteres sint, difficilioris sunt concoctionis, & salitas 

 in penu reconduntur. Lapilli diversas formae & magnitudinis^ 



2 N 2 



