184 MR, W. J. BRODERIP ON THE DODO. 
tuerlijcke Reyse van Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe van Hoorn, gedaen nae Oost- 
Indien,’ published in quarto at Amsterdam, by Gillis Joosten Zaagman. There is no 
date ; but from a narrative introduced at the end, it must be subsequent (probably by a 
year or two) to 1646. The narrative is nearly a verbatim version of the other Dutch 
editions of Bontekoe ; and the only variation of text which concerns us, is in the state- 
ment that the underside of the Dodo dragged along the ground, which is here qualified 
thus :—‘sleepte haer de neers by na (i.e. almost) langs de Aerde.’ But what gives a 
peculiar interest to this volume is, that it contains (alone of all the editions of Bontekoe 
which I have seen) a figure of the Dodo, which I here present.” Then follows the cut. 
‘This highly ludicrous representation,” continues Mr. Strickland, ‘is more like a 
fighting cock than a Dodo ; and the black letter of the Dutch text omits to tell us whether 
this design was due to the pencil of Bontekoe or his publisher Zaagman, or whether 
it was copied from some contemporary painting now forgotten. But there can be no 
doubt that this figure refers to the true Dodo of Mauritius, and not to the ‘Solitaire’ 
of Bourbon, with which Bontekoe confounded it. 
‘““We may regret that the rudeness of the original woodcut leaves us in the dark as 
to the nature of the object on which the Dodo appears about to feed. This figure would 
pass equally well for a testaceous mollusk, or for an arboreal fruit ; so that the problem 
of the Dodo’s food seems as far from a solution as ever.” 
In Wolfgangh’s publication, p. 480, is the following description :— 
‘“Op’t Eylandt Mauritius in Oost-Indien, als mede op sommige andere plaetsen 
gelijck mede in West-Indien, vindt men voegels soo groot als Swanen, die men 
Dodaersen of Dronten noemt, sy hebben groote hoofden, en daer op een velleken 
in manier van een Kapken, sy hebben geen vleugels, dan in plaetsvan dien, 3 of 4 
swarte pennekens, en daer haer staert behoorde te staen, daer Zijn 4 of 5 gekrulde 
Pluymkens, van graeuwachtige verwe. Sy hebben een dicke ronde Naers, daer uyt 
het schijnt, dat haer de naem van Dodaers toe gekomen is; in de maegh hebben 
sy gemeenlijck een Steen van een vuyst groot, dese is bruyn, graeuw van verwe, 
en vol gaetkens, en hollingheydt, doch soo hart als grauwe Bentemeer-steen. Het 
Boots-volck van Jacob van Neck, noemdense Walgh-vogels, om datse die niet recht 
gaer of murruw konden koken: of om datse soo veel Tortel-duyven konden bekomen, 
die leckerdev smaeckten, datse van dese Dod-aersen de walgh kregen. Aen 3 of 4 
van dese Vogels had al’t Scheeps volck van een Schip, voor een maeltijdt genoegh 
t’ eeten: Dese Dod-aersen hebbense oock ingesouten en op de reys mede genomen.” 
This description may be thus rendered :— 
“In the island of Mauritius in the East Indies, as also in sundry other places, like- 
wise in the West Indies, men find birds as big as swans, which they call Dod-aerses or 
Drontes. They have large heads, upon the top of which is a skin (a little skin- 
membrane) in the shape of a cap (little cap). They have no wings, but in the place of 
them there are three or four black feathers ; and there where the tail should be, there 
