Tetrao Tyrannus 169 



ing. There is no other bird, except the Struthio- 

 camelus, which attains so great a weight of body, 

 growing to such a size that it may even be caught 

 upon the ground. The Alps produce them, as do 

 northern lands. In mews they lose their flavour. 

 They die of stubbornness by holding back their 

 breath. Very near them are those which Spaniards 

 call "Aves tardse " and Greece " Otides " ; they are 

 condemned as food. For when the marrow issues 

 from the bones, disgust at the smell follows there 

 and then 1 . 



OF THE TYRANNUS. 



Tyrannus, in English a nyn murder, in German eyn neun 

 murder or eyn gold hendlin. 



ARISTOTLE. 



The Tyrannus also lives on worms 2 . Its body is 

 but little larger than a locust's is. This little bird 

 moreover has a somewhat upright crest of reddish 

 feathers, and is otherwise pretty ; its song is sweet. 



Though Aristotle makes but one kind of Tyrannus, yet 

 the bird-catchers of Cullen state that there are three. The first 

 they call die grosse neun murder, which the English name 

 the Schric for their part, this I take to be the Molliceps of 

 Aristotle. In size it equals the Sturnus, while its colour verges 

 from blue to grey. The second kind is of the same colour 

 as the foregoing, but in size does not exceed a Sparrow. 

 Furthermore this kind is cruel towards other birds. The 

 third kind, which is Aristotle's Tyrannus, is a small bird 

 which is little bigger than the Regulus, adorned with a red 

 crest and not unlike the other kinds (if it be right to trust 

 the fowlers) in its haunts and form of body. It has not ever 

 happened to me hitherto in England to observe the second or 

 the third kind of Tyrannus and, although the first exists in 

 England, it is known to very few. Yet there are some who 

 know it and who call it Shric. 



1 See p. 106. 2 See p. 35. 



