3 
upper side of the toes was also covered with broad scales, the under side wholly callous, 
The toes were short for so thick a leg: for the length of the greatest or middlemost toe 
to the nail did not much exceed two inches, that of the other toe next to it scarce came 
up to two inches : the back toe fell something short of an inch and a half ; but the 
claws of all were thick, hard, black, less than an inch long ; but that of the back toe 
longer than the rest, exceeding an inch. The mariners, in their dialect, gave this bird 
the name JValgh-Vbgel, that is, a nauseous or yellowish' bird; partly because after long 
boiling its flesh became not tender, but continued hard and of a difficult concoction, 
excepting the breast and gizzard, which they found to be of no bad relish, partly 
because they could easily get many Turtle-doves, which were much more delicate and 
pleasant to the palate. Wherefore it was no wonder that in comparison of those they 
despised this, and said they could be well content without it. Moreover, they said that 
they found certain stones in its gizzard, and no wonder, for all other birds, as well as 
these, swallow stones to assist them in grinding their meat.'' Thus far Clusius. 
“In the voyage of Jacob Heemskerk and Wolfert Harmanz to the East Indies, in 
1601, 1602, 1603 (small 4to, Amsterdam, 1648), folio 19, the Dod-aarsen (Dodos) are 
enumerated among the birds of the Island of ‘ Cerne, now Mauritius’ ; and in the 
‘Journal of the East Indian Voyage of Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe van Hoorn, com- 
prising many wonderful and perilous things that happened to him’ — from 1618 to 1625 
(small 4to, Utrecht, 1649)— under the head of the ‘ Island of Mauritius or Maskarinas,’ 
mention is made (page 6) of the Dod-eersen, which had small wings, but could not fly, 
and were so fat that they scarcely could go. 
“ Herbert, in his Travels (1634), gives a figure or rather figures of a bird that he calls 
‘ Dodo,’ and the following account : — ‘ The Dodo comes first to our description, here, 
and in Dygarrois (and no where else, that ever I could see or heare of, is generated the 
Dodo). (A Portuguize name it is, and has reference to her simplenes), a bird which for 
shape and rarenesse might be called a Phoenix (wer’t in Arabia) ; her body is round and 
extreame fat, her slow pace begets that corpulencie ; few of them weigh lesse than fifty 
pound: better to the eye than the stomack: greasie appetites may perhaps commend 
them, but to the indifferently curious nourishment, but prove offensive. Let’s take her 
picture : her visage darts forth melancholy, as sensible of nature’s injurie in framing so 
great and massie a body to be directed by such small and complementail wings, as are 
unable to hoise her from the ground, serving only to prove her a bird ; which otherwise 
might be doubted of: her head is variously drest, the one halfe hooded with downy 
blackish feathers ; the other perfectly naked ; of a whitish hue, as if a transparent 
lawne had covered it: her bill is very howked and bends downwards, the thrill or 
breathing place is in the midst of it ; from which part to the end, the colour is a light 
greene mixt with a pale yellow ; her eyes be round and small, and bright as diamonds ; 
So in Willnghby, but tbe print is somewhat indistinct, and there may be error. In the original the words 
are ‘ Walgh- Vogel, hoc est, nauseam movens avis, partim quod,’ &c., the word therefore is an interpolation.” 
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