THE DODO. 6i 



is thus that in proportion as man multiplies, all 

 the savage and noxious animals fly before him : 

 at his approach they quit their ancient habita- 

 tions, how adapted soever they may be to their 

 natures, and seek a more peaceable though 

 barren retreat; where they willingly exchange 

 plenty for freedom, and encounter all the dan- 

 gers of famine, to avoid the oppressions of an 

 unrelenting destroyer. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE DODO. 



MANKIND have generally made swiftness the 

 attribute of birds ; but the Dodo has no title to 

 this distinction. Instead of exciting the idea 

 of swiftness by its appearance, it seems to strike 

 the imagination as a thing the most unwieldy 

 and inactive of all nature. Its body is massive, 

 almost round, and covered with grey feathers ; 

 it is just barely supported upon two short thick 

 legs like pillars, while its head and neck rise from 

 it in a manner truly grotesque. The neck, thick 

 and pursy, is joined to the head, which consists 

 of two great chaps, that open far behind the eyes, 

 which are large, black, and prominent; so that 

 the animal when it gapes seems to be all mouth.. 

 The bill therefore is of an extraordinary length, 

 not flat and broad, but thick, and of a bluish- 



