173 



It is strange that for many years after great attention had been paid to 

 the Dodo, ornithologists differed conspicuously as to what family it and the 

 other two Didine species belonged. Many asserted that it was a Struthious 

 bird, in fact Linnaeus called it calmly Struthio cucullatus, while others just 

 as forcibly declared it to be an abnormal Vulture. The truth is, that although 

 the Didunculus strigirostis of Samoa, which was supposed to be its near 

 representative, is not at all closely allied, yet the two species of Didus and 

 Pezophaps solitarius form a group of very specialized pigeons. 



THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE PAINTINGS REPRESENTING THE DODO. 



1. Vienna, in the Library of the Emperor Francis. By Hufnagel, 1626, reproduced 



by von Frauenfeldt in his book, 1868. 



2. Berlin. "Altes Museum," Cabinet 3, Division 2, No. 710. By Roelandt Savery, 1626. 



3. Sion House. Duke of Northumberland. By John Goeimare, 1627. 



4. Vienna. Kunsthistorisches Hofmuseum, formerly Belvedere. By Roelandt Savery, 



1628. 



5. London. Zoological Society, formerly Broderip. By Roelandt Savery, undated. 



6. Pommersfelden, Bavaria. Count Schonborn, " Orpheus charming the Beasts." 



By Roelandt Savery, undated. 



7. Haag. Mauritshuis. " Orpheus charming the Beasts." By Roelandt Savery. 



8. Stuttgart. Formerly Dr. Seyffer, but sold at his death and since disappeared. By 



Roelandt Savery. 



9. London. British Museum, formerly belonging to G. Edwards. Probably by Roelandt 



Savery. 



10. Emden. Galerie der Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst. " Orpheus charming the 



Beasts." By Roelandt Savery. 



11. Oxford. Ashmolean Museum. By John Savery, 165 1. 



12. Haarlem. Dr. A. van der Willigen, Pz. By Pieter Holsteyn (1580-1662), not dated. 



13. Dresden. Kgl. Gemalde-Galerie. " Circe and Ulysses." By C. Ruthart, 1666. 



14. Dresden. Kgl. Gemalde-Galerie. "The Creation of the Animals." Supposed to be 



by Franz Francken (1581-1642), no date, and said to be by a different artist. 



At least 2 Mauritius Dodos have been exhibited alive in Europe, one 

 brought back by Van Neck in 1599, and which most likely served as the model 

 for nearly all Roelandt Savery's pictures, and one exhibited in London in the 

 year 1638, mentioned by Sir Hamon Lestrange. This is almost certainly the 

 bird afterwards preserved in Tradescant's Museum (1656), and finally in Oxford 

 (Ashmolean Museum), and probably served for the model of the supposed 

 Savery picture in the British Museum. 



The Dodo inhabited Mauritius. 



NOTE. — Didus nazarenus Gmelin, based on the " Oiseau de Nazareth" of Cauche (Descr. de l'ile de 

 Madagascar, p. 130, ff, 1651) is evidently founded on a mistaken and partly fictitious description of a Dodo, or 

 rather a mixture of that of the Dodo and a Cassowary. The name was, perhaps, also a mistake, derived from that 

 of " Oiseau de nausee" which has a similar meaning as " Walghvogel." 



