256 Britaiirs Heritage of Science 



CHAPTER X 



ZOOLOGY 



IN 1544 William Turner, the leading naturalist of his 

 time, published his " Avium Praecipuarum quarum apud 

 Plinium et Aristotelem mentio est, brevis et succincta 

 historia," dedicated to Edward Prince of Wales, after- 

 wards Edward VI. Turner had been educated at Pembroke 

 College, Cambridge, where he knew Latimer and learned 

 Greek from Ridley. He travelled much abroad, and became 

 an MJD. of Ferrara and subsequently of Oxford. Later in 

 life he was ordained, and in 1550 he was appointed Dean 

 of Wells, a post he was compelled to quit on the accession 

 of Queen Mary. His business in life was theological con- 

 troversy and he wrote many polemical works, but his 

 pleasure was in natural history. He contributed a letter 

 on British fishes to his friend Conrad Gesner, with whom 

 he had worked at Zurich, and with whom he constantly 

 corresponded. As an example of the zoology available in 

 the Great Eliza's times, we may quote Turner's description 

 of the grouse. 



" Of the Lagopus" from Pliny. 



" The Lagopus is in flavour excellent, its feet shaggy 

 as in a hare have given it this name. Otherwise, it is 

 white, in size as the Columbi; it is not eaten except in 

 the land of which it is a native, since it is not tameable 

 while living, and when killed its flesh soon putrefies. 

 There is another bird of the same name, differing but 

 in size from the Coturnices, most excellent for food with 

 yellow saffron sauce. Of this Martial makes mention 

 in the following verse : 



" If my Flaccus delights in the eared Lagopodes." 



