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Sepia, or cuttle-fish, and great plenty of the bone or shelly substance, which sustaineth the whole bulk of that soft fish found commonly on the shore.

The loligo sleve, or calamar, found often upon the shore, from head to tail sometimes about an ell long, remarkable for its parrot-like bill; the gladiolus or celanus along the back, and the notable crystalline of the eye, which equalleth, if not exceedeth, the lustre of oriental pearl.

A polypus, another kind of the mollia, sometimes we have met with.

Lobsters in great number, about Sherringham and Cromer, from whence all the country is supplied.

Astacus marinus pediculi marini facie, found also in that place. With the advantage of the long fore claws about four inches long.

Crabs, large and well-tasted; found also on the same coast.

Another kind of crab, taken for canis fluvialis; little, slender, and of a very quick motion, found in the river running through Yarmouth, and in Bliburgh river.

Oysters exceeding large about Burnham and Hunstanton, like those of Pool, St. Mallows, or Civita Vecchia, whereof many are eaten raw; the shells being broken with cleavers; the greater part pickled, and sent weekly to London and other parts.

Mituli, or muscles, in great quantity, as also chams or cockles, about Stiffkay and the north-west coast.

Pectines pectunculi varii, or scallops of the lesser sort. Turbines, or smaller wilks, leves, striati, as also trochi, trochili, or sea tops, finely variegated and pearly. Likewise purpura minores, nerites, cochlea, tellina.

Lepades, patella: limpits, of an univalve shell, wherein an animal like a snail cleaving fast unto the rocks.

Solenes, "cappe lunge" Venetorum; commonly a razorfish; the shell thereof dentalia, by some called pin-patches, because the pin-meat thereof is taken out with a pin or needle.

9 loligo, &c.] In digging for soles and shrimps, I have taken numbers of little sepice, an inch or two in length, in July and August, and have seen others (I believe of the species loligo), about twelve or eighteen inches long in the sleeve or trunk, in the autumn; Cromer.-G.

Cancellus turbinum et neritis. Bernard the hermit of Rondeletius. A kind of crab, or astacus; living in a forsaken wilk or nerites.

Echinus Echinometrites, sea hedgehog, whose neat shells are common on the shore. The fish alive often taken by the drags among the oysters.

Balani, a smaller sort of univalve growing commonly in clusters. The smaller kinds thereof to be found ofttimes upon oysters, wilks, and lobsters.

Concha anatifera, or ansifera, or barnacle-shell, whereof about four years past were found upon the shore no small number by Yarmouth, hanging by slender strings of a kind of alga unto several splinters or cleavings of fir-boards, unto which they were severally fastened, and hanged like ropes of onions: their shell flat, and of a peculiar form, differing from other shells; this being of four divisions; containing a small imperfect animal, at the lower part divided into many shoots or streams, which prepossessed spectators' fancy to be the rudiment of the tail of some goose or duck to be produced from it. Some whereof in the shell, and some taken out and spread upon paper, we still keep by us.

Stella marine, or sea-stars, in great plenty, especially about Yarmouth. Whether they be bred out of the urticus, squalders, or sea-jellies, as many report, we cannot confirm; but the squalders in the middle seem to have some lines or first draughts not unlike. Our stars exceed not five points, though I have heard that some with more have been found about Hunstanton and Burnham; where are also found stella marinæ testacea, or handsome crusted and brittle sea-stars, much less.

The pediculus and culex marinus, the sea louse and fly, are also no strangers.

Physsalus Rondeletii, or eruca marina physsaloides, according to the icon of Rondeletius, of very orient green and purple bristles.

Ürtica marina of divers kinds; some whereof called squalders. Of a burning and stinging quality, if rubbed in the hand. The water thereof may afford a good cosmetic.

Another very elegant sort there is often found cast up by shore in great numbers, about the bigness of a button, clear and welted, and may be called fibula marina crystallina.

Hirudines marini, or sea-leeches.

Vermes marini, very large worms, digged a yard deep out of the sands at ebb, for bait. It is known where they are to be found by a little flat over them, on the surface of the sand. As also vermes in tubulis testacei. Also tethya, or sea-dogs; some whereof resemble fritters.

The vesicaria marina also, and fanago, sometimes very large; conceived to proceed from some testaceous animals, and particularly from the purpura; but ours more probably from other testaceous, we have not met with any large purpura upon this coast.

Many river fishes also and animals. Salmon no common fish in our rivers, though many are taken in the Ouse; in the Bure or North river; in the Waveney or South river ; in the Norwich river but seldom, and in the winter. But four years ago fifteen were taken at Trowse mill, at Christmas, whose mouths were stuck with small worms or horse leeches, no bigger than fine threads. Some of these I kept in water three months. If a few drops of blood were put to the water, they would in a little time look red. They sensibly grew bigger than I first found them, and were killed by a hard frost freezing the water. Most of our salmon have a recurved piece of flesh in the end of the lower jaw, which, when they shut their mouths, deeply enters the upper, as Scaliger hath noted in some.

The rivers, lakes, and broads, abound in the lucius or pikes of a very large size, where also is found the brama or bream, large and well tasted. The tinca or tench; the aulecula, roach; as also rowds and dare or dace; perca or perch, great and small; whereof such as are taken in Breydon, on this side Yarmouth, in the mixed water, make a dish very dainty; and, I think, scarce to be bettered in England. But the blea, the chubbe, the barble, to be found in divers other rivers in England I have not observed in these. As also fewer minnows than in many other rivers.

The trutta or trout; the gammarus or crawfish ; but scarce in our rivers; but frequently taken in the Bure or North river, and in the several branches thereof. And very remarkable large crawfishes to be found in the river which runs by Castleacre and Nerford.

The aspredo perca minor, and probably the cernua of Cardan, commonly called a ruff; in great plenty in Norwich

river, and even in the stream of the city; which though Camden appropriates unto this city, yet they are also found in the rivers of Oxford and Cambridge.

Lampetra, lampreys, great and small, found plentifully in Norwich river, and even in the city, about May; whereof some are very large; and, well cooked, are counted a dainty bit collared up, but especially in pies.

Mustela fluviatilis or eel-pout, to be had in Norwich river, and between it and Yarmouth, as also in the rivers of Marshland; resembling an eel and a cod; a very good dish; and the liver whereof well answers the commendations of the ancients.

Gudgeons or funduli fluviatiles; many whereof may be taken within the river in the city.

Capitones fluviatiles or miller's thumb; pungitias fluviatilis or stanticles. Aphia cobites fluviatilis or loches. In Norwich river, in the runs about Heveningham Heath, in the North river and streams thereof.

Of eels, the common eel, and the glot, which hath somewhat a different shape in the bigness of the head and is affirmed to have young ones often found within it; and we have found an uterus in the same, somewhat answering the icon thereof in Senesinus.

Carpiones, carp; plentiful in ponds, and sometimes large ones in broads. Two of the largest I ever beheld were taken in Norwich river.

Though the woods and drylands abound with adders and vipers, yet are there few snakes about our rivers or meadows; more to be found in Marshland. But ponds and plashes abound in lizards or swifts.

The gryllotalpa or fen cricket, common in fenny places; but we have met with them also in dry places, dunghills, and churchyards, of this city.

Besides horseleeches and periwinkles, in plashes and standing waters, we have met with vermes setacei or hard worms: but could never convert horsehairs into them by laying them in water. As also the great hydrocantharus or black shining water-beetle, the forficula, squilla, corculum, and notonecton, that swimmeth on its back.

Camden reports that in former time there have been beavers in the river of Cardigan in Wales. This we are too

sure of, that the rivers, great broads, and carrs, afford great store of otters with us; a great destroyer of fish, as feeding but from the vent downwards; not free from being a prey itself; for their young ones have been found in buzzards' nests. They are accounted no bad dish by many; are to be made very tame; and in some houses have served for turnspits.

ON THE OSTRICH.1

[MS. SLOAN. 1830, fol. 10, 11; 1847.]

THE Ostrich hath a compounded name in Greek and Latin -Struthio-Camelus, borrowed from a bird and a beast, as being a feathered and biped animal, yet in some ways like a camel; somewhat in the long neck; somewhat in the foot; and, as some imagine, from a camel-like position in the part of generation.

It is accounted the largest and tallest of any winged and feathered fowl; taller than the gruen or cassowary. This ostrich, though a female, was about seven feet high, and some of the males were higher, either exceeding or answerable unto the stature of the great porter unto king Charles the First. The weight was a2 in grocer's scales.

Whosoever shall compare or consider together the ostrich and the tomineio, or humbird, not weighing twelve grains, may easily discover under what compass or latitude the creation of birds hath been ordained.

The head is not large, but little in proportion to the whole body. And, therefore, Julius Scaliger, when he mentioned birds of large heads (comparatively unto their bodies),

1 On the ostrich.] This was drawn up for his son Edward, to be de livered in the course of his lectures. It occurs in the middle of the paper on Birds; but evidently was inserted by mistake in the binding; it is written on larger paper.

2

a.....] Utterly undecypherable in the original.

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