ZOOLOGY IN TIME OF SHAKESPEARE 235 

 kinds of birds named by Aristotle and Pliny, he 

 has added notes from his own experience on some 

 species which had come under his observation, 

 and in so doing he has produced the first book 

 on Birds which treats them in anything like a 

 modern scientific spirit . . . nor is it too much 

 to say that almost every page bears witness to a 

 personal knowledge of the subject, which would 

 be distinctly creditable even to a modern ornitho- 

 logist." 



A contemporary of Turner's, Edward Wotton 

 (1492-1555), born at Oxford and elected a Fellow 

 of Magdalen, travelled for several years in Italy. 

 He took his M.D. at Padua, and later held high 

 office in the College of Physicians, and has been 

 described as " the first English Physician who 

 made a systematic study of natural history." 

 His book " De Differentiis Animalium," published 

 two years before Turner's " Historia " and dedi- 

 cated to the same patron, acquired a European 

 reputation. The copy of this book, a fine folio, 

 in the British Museum is said to be " probably 

 unsurpassed in typographical excellence by any 

 contemporary work." " De Differentiis Anima- 

 lium " was deservedly praised by contemporary 



