Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk: More Especially on the Birds and FishesBrowne, Thomas, Sir
History
Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk: More Especially on the Birds and Fishes
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Natural history -- England -- Norfolk
With regard to the species of the bird recorded by Browne and its
origin, he is careful to point out that a Pelican had about that
time escaped from the King's collection in St. James' Park, and to
surmise that it might be the same bird; from what follows this
seems probable, but as _P. onocrotalus_ is believed to stray
occasionally into the northern parts of Germany and France ("Dict.
of Birds," p. 702) the occurrence of that species on the East Coast
of Britain, where, even at present, it would find a state of things
in every way suited to its requirements (guns excepted), would not
be very extraordinary. Browne's Pelican was killed in May, 1663,
and although Dr. Edward Browne visited St. James' Park in February,
1664, and saw "many strange creatures," including the Stork with
the wooden leg (mentioned by Evelyn), he says nothing of the
Pelicans, still it may be that it was from him that his father
heard of the escape. Evelyn, in his Diary, mentioned that he
visited St. James' Park on February 9th, 1665, and speaks of only
one Pelican, which he states was brought from Astrakan by the
Russian Ambassador as a present to the King; Willughby says
distinctly that the Emperor of Russia sent the King two Pelicans,
and further, that he took the description in his "Ornithology" from
a bird in the Royal Aviary, St. James' Park, near Westminster; it
seems therefore highly probable that Browne's bird was one of these
which had escaped from confinement. But a rather curious
circumstance arises out of this, the bird described by Willughby
does not appear to be _P. onocrotalus_, but a similar species, _P.
roseus_, found chiefly in Indio-China and westward to South-eastern
Europe, but occurring as far west as the River Volga ("Cat. of
Birds," B. M., xxvi., p. 466). In this Mr. Ogilvie Grant, the
author of that section of the Catalogue, whom I consulted, agrees
with me, and the locality whence the birds were derived, mentioned
by Willughby, renders not unlikely. Onocrotalus in Browne's time
was a general term for "the Pelican," and he probably knew but one
species and one individual, the escaped bird from Charles II.'s
Aviary. Browne's very miscellaneous collection was destroyed by the
authorities at the time of the plague (see ninth letter to
Merrett), and probably the remains of this Pelican perished with
the rest.
Anas Arctica clusii wch though hee placeth about the faro Islands is the
same wee call a puffin co[=m]on about Anglisea in wales & sometimes [for
_struck out_] taken upon our seas not sufficiently described by the name
of puffinus the bill being so remarkably differing from other ducks &
not horizontally butt meridionally formed to feed in the clefts of the
rocks of insecks, shell-fish & others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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