Platea Porphyrio Regulus 153 



until it wrenches their prey from them. So too when 

 it has filled itself with shell-fish that it has devoured, 

 it casts them up, seethed by its belly's heat, and so 

 picks out the eatable parts, sifting off the shells. 



HIERONYMUS. 



Pelecani, when they find their young killed by a 

 serpent, mourn, and beat themselves upon their sides, 

 and with the blood discharged, they thus bring back to 

 life the bodies of the dead. 



Conrad Gesner, a man most learned as he also was most 

 truthful, first imparted to me while I was at Zurich knowledge 

 of this bird (that I may own from whom I profited), and 

 taught me that it was called lefler by Germans because it has 

 a spoon-shaped beak. 



OF THE PORPHYRIO FROM PLINY. 



The Porphyrio alone drinks with a bite, it also is 

 peculiar in dipping all its food from time to time in 

 water, and then bearing it to its beak with its foot, as 

 with a hand. The best are found in Comagene. 

 Their beaks and very long legs are red. 



OF THE REGULUS. 



7rpeo-{3vs, j3ao-i\ev<;, trochilus, senator, regulus, 

 in English a wren, in German eyn kuningsgen or eyn zaun- 

 kiiningk. 



ARISTOTLE. 



The Trochilus inhabits shrubberies and holes, and 

 cannot easily be caught. Now it is shy and of a feeble 

 habit, but endowed with great ability of getting food 

 and knowledge of its craft. The same is called both 

 senator and king, on which account the Aquila, they 

 say, fights with it. 



