THE DODO. 



461 



About thirty years after, llubert thus describes the bird in his "Travels :" — " The dodo 

 comes first to our description, here, and in Dygarrois ; (and nowhere else, that ever I 

 could see or hear of, is generated the dodo.) (A Portuguese name it is, and has 

 reference to her simpleness) a bird which for shape and rareness might be called a Phosnix 

 (wer't in Arabia) ; her body is round and extreame fat, her slow pace begets that cor- 

 pulencie ; few of them weigh less than fifty pound : better to the eye than the stomak : 

 greasy appetites might, perhaps, commend them, but to the indift'ei'ently curious nourish- 

 ment but proves offensive. Let's take her picture : her visage darts forth melancholy, as 

 sensible of nature's injurie in framing so great and massive a body to be directed by such 

 small and complementall wings, as are unable to poise her from the ground, serving only 

 to prove- her a bird ; which otherwise might be doubted of ; her head is variously drest, 

 the one halfe hooded with downy blackish feathers ; the other, perfectly naked ; of a 

 whitish hue, as if a transparent lawne had co\-ered it ; her bill is very hooked, and bends 

 downwards ; the thrill, or breathing place, is in the midst of it ; from which part to the 

 end, the colour is a light green, raixt with a pale A'ellow ; her ej'es be round and small, 

 and bright as diamonds ; her cloathing is of finest downe, such as you see in goslins ; 

 her trayne is (like a China beard) of three or four short feathers; her legs thick, and 

 black, and strong ; her tallons or poimcers sharp, her stomak fiery hot, so as stones and 

 iron are easily digested in it ; and in that shape, not a little resembling the Africk 

 Ostriches : but so much, as for theiraiiore certain difference, I dare to give thee (with 

 two others) her representation." 



ni:AD OF THE uodo. 



FRONT AND KACK VIEW OF THE FOOT OF THE DODO. 



There are several details in this description, such as the digestive powers of the 

 stomach, which are doubtless inaccurate ; but the more important particulars entirely 

 accord with other evidence. 



The third representation of the dodo appeared in " '\\'illughby's Ornithology," edited 

 by our great naturalist, John Eay, who says : — " We have seen this bird dried, or its skin 

 stuffed, in Tradescant's cabinet." The Tradescant, to whom he refers, was a person who 

 had a very curious museimi at Lambeth. In the printed catalogue of his collection 

 there is the following item : " Sect. -5. Whole Birds. Doddo, from the island Mauritius ; 

 it is not able to flv, being so big." The specimen afterwards passed into the Ashmolean 

 Museum at Oxford, but, having become decayed, it was destroyed in 17-55. A beak and 

 leo- are, however, still preserved in that establishment ; and there is also a foot in the 

 British ]Museum, which was formerly in the Museum of the Royal Society. 



The followino- is Willughby's translation of Clusius, and the section is thus headed : — 

 "The Dodo: called by Clusius Gallus gallinaceus peregrliui>> ; by Nieremberg, Cygniis 

 ciwiil/atiin ; by Bontius, JDroiite. This exotic bird, found by the Hollanders in the island 

 called Cygnaca, or Cerne-(that is, the Swan Island) by the Portuguese, Jlauritius Island 



