8 BRITISH BIRDS. 



published at London, 1570). It was probably during his 

 residence at Cambridge that Turner first directed his 

 attention to the study of birds, while there, no doubt the 

 fascination of the Fens fell upon him, as it has fallen on so 

 many since his time, and it was in the Fens that many of 

 his most valuable observations were made on birds which, 

 then resident, are now only known as rare stragglers to 

 this country. It seems unlikely that Turner could have 

 devoted much time to natural history before he went to the 

 University, as he himself informs us that he had never seen 

 the nest of the Water Ousel or Dipper, a somewhat curious 

 fact when we remember that he was a native of Northumber- 

 land. 



It was in 1538, while still at Cambridge, that Turner 

 published his first work on natural history, entitled : — 



Libellus de / re Herbaria Novvs, / in quo her- 

 barum aliquot no- / mina Grseca, Latina & 

 Anglica / habes, vna cum nomini- / bus officin- 

 arum, in / gratiam stu- / diosae iuuentutis nunc 

 pri- / mum in lucem / seditus. 



Such was the prevailing ignorance of those times 

 that, writing thirty years later, he bitterly complains 

 that he could get no assistance in his work from his 

 contemporaries : — 



" Wher as I could learne never one Greke, neither 

 Latin, nor English name, even amongest the Phisicions 

 of any herbe or tre, suche was the ignorance in simples 

 at that tyme, and as yet there was no Englishe Herbal 

 but one, al full of unlearned Cacographees and falselye 

 naming of herbes." 



During his stay at Cambridge, Turner became an 

 intimate friend of Nicholas Ridley (1500-1555), and of 

 Hugh Latimer, Ridley's fellow martyr at the stake. 

 From Ridley, Turner received his first instruction in 

 Greek, and, influenced by the teaching of the Reformers, 

 he now embraced those religious views for which he 

 laboured so zealously during the remainder of his Hfe. 

 Leaving his University he travelled through a consider- 



