Appendix 207 



It lays for the most part two eggs in rabbit burrows in the 

 earth. It does not trust to its wings save in sight of the sea. 

 It seems a lazy animal, but patient of injury. It eats flesh 

 more readily than fish, and that of a rabbit in preference to 

 that of any other animal, but in either case raw : it throws up 

 what is boiled or roasted, Other human victuals it does not 

 touch. In summer it washes itself but never drinks, so far as 

 can be ascertained by observation ; whether this was because 

 salt water was wanting, I know not. The droppings are like 

 those of an Accipiter. When there was nothing to eat it 

 begged for food with its ordinary cry repeated and lowered, by 

 calling out "pupin, pupin." I kept one at my house for eight 

 months. It bit with right good will those who supplied it with 

 food or touched it, but in a mild and harmless way. It was 

 satisfied with little food. For it is not a voracious bird, as our 

 Corvorant is, which you (dearest Gesner) rightly name Corvus 

 aquations and Mergus, while our people corruptly say Cormo- 

 rant, not knowing from the derivation of the word that it 

 ought to be called the Crow that devours. And this it does 

 naturally, since it is endowed by nature with only one in- 

 testine straight and without a coil (as they say), on account 

 of the vehemence of the natural heat, which very quickly 

 consumes all that it swallows. 



OF THE SPERMOLOGUS OR FRUGILEGA. 



Our Spermologus differs in nothing from a black Crow, 

 save in the harmlessness of its habits, in the 7r/>oXo/3o? or crop, 

 which holds the grain as it is picked up, that it may bear it to 

 its young (for it is pouched): in the white callus, which 

 extends from the base of the beak to the head ; and in its 

 voice, which is guttural and harsh. Whence possibly by our 

 people, among whom there exist many Latin and Greek 

 names for things (as we have said in our book on the 

 Harmony of British words) it is called Rouke, as if it should 

 be called Rauce by the English and Raucus by the Latins : 

 also in food it differs from the Crow in that it eats wheat, 

 barley, and other seeds (whence it got the name of o-Tre/o/zo- 

 Xtxyo? among the Greeks. It also eats worms, when there is 

 not plenty of corn or grain. Hence our country people doubt 



