Chapter IX: Appendix: D

Draft of a letter from Sir Thomas Browne to his daughter
Elizabeth, enclosing two pictures of a Stork. This and the next
letter are in the Bodleian Library (MS. Rawl. D. cviii.)

[_Fol. 70._] This is a picture of the stork [_see Note 14_] I mentiond in my last. butt it is different from the co[=m]on stork by red lead colourd leggs and bill[132] and the feet hath not vsuall sharp poynted clawes butt resembling a mans nayle, such as Herodotus discribeth the white Ibis of AEgypt to haue. The ends of the wings are black & when shee doth not spred them they make all the lower part of the back looke black, butt the fethers on the back vnder them are white as also the tayle. it fed upon snayles & froggs butt a toad being offered it would not touch it. the tongue is about half an inch long. the quills of the wing are as bigge or bigger then a swans quills. it was shott by the seaside & the wing broake. Some there were who tooke it for an euell omen saying If storks come ouer into England, god send that a co[=m]onwealth doth not come after.[U]

[132] Browne evidently was not very familiar with the Stork, which is not surprising, seeing that it is a very rare bird in Britain; it may be that he had only seen the bird in its immature stage, for the "red-lead" hue of the legs is very characteristic of the adult bird. [_See also Note 14_, p. 10.]

[U] In reference to the Dutch fable of those days that Storks would only inhabit republican countries.

That picture with the lesser head is the better.

MS. RAWL. D. cviii.

Draft of a letter containing further particulars with regard to
the Stork. There is nothing to indicate to whom it was
addressed.

[_Fol. 77._] A kind of stork was shott in the wing by the sea neere Hasburrowe & brought aliue vnto mee. it was about a yard high red lead coloard leggs and bill. the clawes resembling human nayles such as Herodotus describeth in the white Ibis of AEgypt The lower parts of the wings are black which gathered up makes the lower part of back looke black butt the tayle vnder them is white as the other part of the body. it fed readily upon snayles & froggs, butt a toad being offered it would not touch it: the tongue very short [not _crossed out_] an inch long. it makes a clattering noyse by flapping one bill agaynst the other somewhat like the platea or shouelard.[V] the quills [about _crossed out_] of the biggnesse of swans bills [_sic_ quills?] when it swallowed a frogge it was sent downe into the stomak by the back side of the neck as was perceaued upon swallowing. I could not butt take notice of the conceitt of some who looked upon it as an ill omen saying if storks come ouer into England, pray god a co[=m]on wealth do not come after.

[V] The Spoonbill.

In addition to these letters there are in the Bodleian Library a
letter from Elizabeth Browne to her brother, describing the
above-mentioned Stork, and desiring him to keep one of the two
pictures himself, and to give the other to his sister Fairfax
(MS. Rawl. D. 108, fol. 71), and a draft of a letter from Sir
Thomas Browne about a remarkable fly (_see ante_ p. 68 _and Note
110_), which offended the cattle extraordinarily, found at
Horsey Marshes (MS. Rawl. D. 108, fol. 103). There is also (MS.
Rawl. D. 391, fol. 55) a letter from Sir Hamon le Strange to Sir
T. B., dated Jan. 16, 1653. About half this letter is printed by
Wilkin, i., pp. 369-70. He mentions towards the end that he
sends certain observations on T. B.'s "Enquiries into Common
Errors," at page "27 thereof I write of a whale cast upon my
shoare." This criticism is now separated from the letter, which
originally covered it, but happily is preserved in the British
Museum, MS. Sloane, 1839. fols. 104-145.

INDEX.

A.

Acorus verus, 58

Acus, Needlefish, 40, 41, 66

Adders, 55

Addercock, 66

Alcedo ispida, 21

Allis Shad, 42 (note)

Alni carptor, 76

Amber, 63, 88

Alosa, 42

Anas arctica, 17, 73

Anas macrolophos, 82, 88

Anas alis oculatis, 80

Anatula, 76, 79

Anglorum, Sand Eel, 44

Apiaster, 73

Aphia cobites, 42

Appendix A., 86

Appendix B., 90

Appendix C., 95

Appendix D., 96

Aquila Gesneri, 3, 67, 87

Ardea stellaris, 17

Arcuata, 23

Armed Bull-head, 41 (note), 62, 65, 87

Avicula Maialis, 19, 66

Ascidians, 50 (note)

Aselli, 43

Asprage, 45

Aspredo, 53, 83, 88

Astacus, 46, 57

Atherine?, 42 (note), 73

Auk, Little?, 79 (note)

Avis pugnax, 20

Avis trogloditica, 26

Avocet, 24, 67

B.

Balani, 48

Banstickle 44

Barbel, 53

Barker, 24, 67, 73, 76

Barnacle shell, 48

Barnacle Goose, 12

Bargander, 13, 73

Bass, 43

Bearded Tit, 26 (note)

Bee-bird, 73, 76

Betulae Carptor, 29, 73, 76

Birdcatcher, 25

Birds found in Norfolk, 1

Birds number of species, 32

Bittern, 17

Black Grouse, 28

Black Heron, 21

Black-tailed Godwit, 24 (note)

Bleak, 43, 53, 78, 81

Bones, Fossil, 91

Boyle, Robert, 85

Bream, 52

Brent Goose, 12

Brill, Bret, 45

Brittle Stars, 49

Browne, Sir Thomas--

Attitude towards witchcraft, xi. (note)

Collection of Eggs, 10 (note)

Correspondents, viii.

Drawings lost, xxv.

Editions of his Collected Works, xviii.

Estimation in which he was held, xvii.

Letters to Merrett, xxii., 57

Letters to Dugdale, 91

Notes on Certain Birds, xx., 1

Notes on Certain Fishes, xx., 31

Observations on Migration, xvi., 2 (note)

Originality, xi., xvi.

Purpose for which written, xxi., 2

State of Natural Science in his day, x., xiv.

Bull-head, Armed, 41 (note), 62, 65, 87

Burbot, 54

Bustard, 18

Butcher bird, 25

Butt, 45

Buzzard, Bald, 4, 56

Buzzard, Gray, 4