THE DODO. 



The visitors of the British Museum were, some years ago, accustomed to glance at the 

 representation of a bird, the gift of Mr. George Edwards, which he thus describes : — 

 " The original picture, from which this print of the dodo is engraved, was drawn in 

 Holland, from the Jjving bird, brought from St. Maurice's Island, in the East Indies, by 

 the way of the Cape of Good Hope. This picture was the property of the late 8ir Hans 

 Sloane to tjio time of his death ; and afterwards becoming my property, I deposited it in 

 the Britisli jMuseum, as a great curiosity. The above history of the picture I had from 

 Sir Hans Sloane, and the late Dr. Mortimer, secretary of the Royal Society." 



Were this tlic only evidence that could be adduced, it would bo more easy to supjiose 

 that the artist had invented the picture, than that a species of birds should have become 

 extinct in so short a space of lime. But there arc three other representations of the 

 dodo in very caily printed books ; and they are cvidonlly not copied from one another, 

 though they all agree in representing the animal with a sort of hood on tlic head, the 

 eye placed in a b.irc skin extending to the beak, the curved and swelling neck, the short 

 heavy body, the small wings, the stumpy legs and diverted claws, and ihe tuft (if iiniip 

 feathers. 



The first appears in a Latin work by Clusius, printed in 1G05. He says it was taken 

 froTn a rough sketch in the journal of a Hutch voyager, wlio had observed the bird in a 

 voyage to tlic ^loliifcas, in 1 ")98 ; and that he liimsolf had seen at Leyden a leg of the 

 dodo, brought IVmn tin' Miuiilius. 



