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
[_Fol. 3._] WORTHY SR,--y^{rs} of y^e 14^{th} instant I recaeved as full
off learning in discovering so many very great curiosities as kindness
in communicating them to mee & promising y^r farther assistance. ffor
which I shall always proclame by my tongue as well as by my pen, my due
resentment & thanks.
The 2 funguses [guses _crossed out and_ i _inserted_] y^w sent y^e
figures off [_see Note 106_] are y^e finest & rarest as to their figure
I have ever seen or read of, & soe is y^r fibula marina, far surpassing
one I reacived from Cornwall much of y^e same bigness, neither of which
I find anywhere mentioned. The urtica marina minor Jonst. & physalus I
never met with, nor have bin informed off y^e canis charcharius alius
Jonst. Many of y^e Lupus piscis I have seen, & have bin informed by y^e
Kings fish monger they are taken on our coast, but was not satisfyed for
some reasons off his relation soe as to enter it into my pinax, though
tis said to bee peculiar to y^e river Albis [= Elbe] yet I thought they
might come sometimes thence to y^r coasts. Trutta marina I haue and y^e
loligo, sepia, & polypus y^e 3 sorts off y^e molles have bin found on
our western coasts which shall bee exactly distinguished--As for y^e
Salmons taken a bove London towards Richmond & nearer, & y^t in great
quantity some years they have all off them their lower jaw as y^w
observ, [_see Note 92_] & our fishermen [men _crossed out_] say they
usually wear off some part off it on y^e banks or els y^e lower would
grow into y^e upper & soe starve them as they have sometimes seen--y^w
ask whether I haue y^e mullus ruber asper, or y^e piscis Octangularis
Wormii. or y^e sea worm longer than y^e earth worms, or y^e garrulus
Argentor. or y^e duck cal'd a May chit or y^e Dor hawke. The 4 first I
haue noe account off y^e 2 later I know not especially by those names,
wee have noe hawk by y^t name [_see Note 42_] y^r account of succinum as
all y^e rest will bee registered. As for y^e Aquila Gesneri I never saw
nor heard off any such in y^e Collidge for [_fol. 3 verso_] this 25
years last past. Sr y^w are pleased to say y^w shall write more if y^w
know how not to bee surpurfluous--certainly what y^w have hitherto done
hath bin all curiosities, & I doubt not but y^w have many more by you--I
can direct y^w noe further than y^r own reason dictates to y^w. Besides
those mentioned in y^e pinax I have 100 to add, & cannot give y^w a
particular off them--whatever y^w write is either confirmative or
additional. I doe entreat this favour off y^w to inform mee fuller off
those unknown things mentioned herein, & to add y^e name page &c of y^e
Author if mentioned by any or else to give them such a latin name for
them as y^w have done by y^e fungi which may bee descriptive &
differencing off them. Sr I hope y^e publigs [_sic_] interest & y^r own
good genius will plead y^r pardon desired by
y^r humble servant
CHR. MERRETT.
_London Aug. 29. 68._
[Reply to No. 8 of the above Series.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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