CHAPTER XXII.

That the Ostrich digesteth iron.

THE common opinion of the Ostrich, Struthiocamelus or Sparrow Camel, conceives that it digesteth iron, and this is confirmed by the affirmations of many besides swarms of others, Rhodiginus in his prelections taketh it for granted, Johannes Langius in his epistles pleadeth experiment for it; the common picture also confirmeth it, which usually describeth this animal with an horseshoe in its mouth. Notwithstanding upon inquiry we find it very questionable, and the negative seems most reasonably entertained, whose verity indeed we do the rather desire, because hereby we shall relieve our ignorance of one occult quality, for in the list thereof it is accounted, and in that notion imperiously obtruded upon us. For my part, although I have had the sight of this animal, I have not had the opportunity of its experiment, but have received great occasion of doubt from learned discourses thereon.

For Aristotle and Oppianus, who have particularly treated hereof, are silent in this singularity, either omitting it as dubious, or as the comment saith, rejecting it as fabulous. Pliny, speaking generally, affirming only the digestion is wonderful in this animal; Ælian delivereth that it digested stones without any mention of iron; Leo Africanus, who lived in those countries wherein they most abound, speaketh diminutively, and but half way into this assertion, Surdum ac simplex animal est, quicquid invenit, absque delectu, usque ad ferrum devorat; Fernelius in his second De Abditis rerum causis, extenuates it, and Riolanus in his comment thereof positively denies it. Some have experimentally refuted it, as Albertus Magnus, and most plainly Ulysses Aldrovandus, whose words are these, Ego ferri frusta devorare, dum Tridenti essem, observavi, sed quæ incocta rursus excerneret, that is, "at my being at Trent, I observed the ostrich to swallow iron, but yet to exclude it undigested again.”7

7 and most plainly, &c.] But though Aldrovandus saw this once, "one swallow makes not a summer, says Master Ross, "who fully believes the iron to be digested; he is satisfied that even in that one

Now beside experiment, it is in vain to attempt against it by philosophical argument, it being an occult quality, which contemns the law of reason, and defends itself by admitting no reason at all. As for its possibility we shall not at present dispute; nor will we affirm that iron ingested, receiveth in the stomach of the ostrich no alteration at all; but if any such there be, we suspect this effect rather [from some way of corrosion than any of digestion; not any liquid reduction or tendence to chylification by the power of natural heat, but rather some attrition from an acid and vitriolous humidity in the stomach, which may absterse and shave the scorious parts thereof. So rusty iron crammed down the throat of a cock, will become terse and clear again in its gizzard. So the counter, which, according to the relation of Amatus, remained a whole year in the body of a youth, and came out much consumed at last, might suffer this diminution rather from sharp and acid humours, than the strength of natural heat, as he supposeth. So silver swallowed and retained for some time in the body will turn black, as if it had been dipped in aqua fortis, or some corrosive water, but lead will remain unaltered, for that metal containeth in it a sweet salt or sugar, whereby it resisteth ordinary corrosion, and will not easily dissolve even in aqua fortis. So when for medical uses we take down the filings of iron or steel, we must not conceive it passeth unaltered from us, for though the grosser parts be excluded again, yet are the dissoluble parts extracted, whereby it becomes effectual in deoppilainstance the stomach suckt something out of it!" The ostrich is naturally herbivorous; but though vegetable matter constitutes the basis of its food, and though it is often seen pasturing in the south of Africa, it is yet so voracious, and its senses of taste and smell are so obtuse, that it devours animal and mineral substances indiscriminately, until its enormous stomach is completely full. It swallows without any choice, and merely as it were for ballast, wood, stones, grass, iron, copper, gold, lime, or, in fact, any other substance equally hard, indigestible, and deleterious. The powers of digestion in this bird are certainly very great, but their operation is confined to matters of an alimentary character. But copper, far from being converted into nutriment, acts upon its stomach like poison, and nails very frequently pierce its coats and membranes. Vaillant mentions that one of these birds died in consequence of having devoured an immense quantity of quick lime.--Cuvier. In Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, No. 6, p. 62, is a relation of an ostrich having been killed by swallowing glass.

tions, and therefore for speedier operation we make extinctions, infusions, and the like, whereby we extract the salt and active parts of the medicine, which being in solution, more easily enter the veins. And this is that the chemists mainly drive at in the attempt of their Aurum Potabile, that is, to reduce that indigestible substance into such a form as may not be ejected by siege, but enter the cavities, and less accessible parts of the body, without corrosion.

The ground of this conceit is its swallowing down fragments of iron, which men observing, by a froward illation, have therefore conceived it digesteth them, which is an inference not to be admitted, as being a fallacy of the consequent, that is, concluding a position of the consequent, from the position of the antecedent. For many things are swallowed by animals rather for condiment, gust or medicament, than any substantial nutriment. So poultry, and especially the turkey, do of themselves take down stones, and we have found at one time in the gizzard of a turkey no less than seven hundred. Now these rather concur unto digestion, than are themselves digested, for we have found them also in the guts and excrements; but their descent is very slow, for we have given them stones and small pieces of iron, which eighteen days after we have found remaining in the gizzard; and therefore the experiments of Langius and others might be fallible, whilst after the taking they expected it should come down within a day or two after. Thus also we swallow cherry stones, but void them unconcocted, and we usually say they preserve us from surfeit, for being hard bodies they conceive a strong and durable heat in the stomach, and so prevent the crudities of their fruit: and upon the like reason do culinary operators observe, that flesh boils best when the bones are boiled with it. Thus dogs will eat grass, which they digest not; thus camels to make the water sapid, do raise the mud with their feet; thus horses will knable at walls, pigeons delight in salt stones; rats will gnaw iron, and Aristotle saith the elephant swalloweth stones; and thus may also the ostrich swallow iron, not as 8 deoppilations.] Clearing away obstructions.

9 knable.]

Probably to be found no where else," says Johnson, "than in this passage." Very probably; the fact is, that it is a frequent Norfolk vulgarization of the word nibble.

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his proper aliment, but for the ends above expressed, and even as we observe the like in other animals.

And whether these fragments of iron and hard substances swallowed by the ostrich have not also that use in their stomachs which they have in other birds, that is, in some way to supply the use of teeth, by commolition, grinding and compressing of their proper aliment, upon the action of the strongly conformed muscles of the stomach, as the honoured Dr. Harvey discourseth, may also be considered.1

What effect therefore may be expected from the stomach of an ostrich by application alone to further digestion in ours beside the experimental refute of Galen, we refer it unto considerations above alleged. Or whether there be any more credit to be given unto the medicine of Ælian, who affirms, the stones they swallow have a peculiar virtue for the eyes, than that of Hermolaus and Pliny drawn from the urine of this animal,-let them determine who can swallow so strange a transmission of qualities, or believe that any bird or flying animal doth separately and distinctly urine beside the bat.

That therefore an ostrich will swallow and take down iron is easily to be granted; that oftentimes it passes entire away, if we admit of ocular testimony, is not to be denied. And though some experiment may also plead that sometimes they are so altered as not to be found or excluded in any discernible parcels, yet whether this be not effected by some way of corrosion, from sharp and dissolving humidities, rather than any proper digestion, chylifactive mutation, or alimental conversion, is with good reason doubted.2

CHAPTER XXIII.

Of the Unicorn's horn.

GREAT account and much profit is made of unicorn's horn, at least of that which beareth the name thereof; wherein notwithstanding, many, I perceive, suspect an im

1 And whether, &c.] This paragraph first added in third edition. 2 That therefore, &c.] This paragraph was first added in second edition.

posture, and some conceive there is no such animal extant.3 Herein, therefore, to draw up our determinations: beside the several places of Scripture mentioning this animal (which some may well contend to be only meant of the rhinoceros) we are so far from denying there is any unicorn at all, that we affirm there are many kinds thereof. In the number of quadrupeds, we will concede no less than five; that is, the Indian ox, the Indian ass, the rhinoceros, the oryx, and that which is more eminently termed monoceros or unicornis. Some in the list of fishes; as that described by Olaus, Albertus, and others; and some unicorns we will allow even among insects, as those four kinds of nasicornous beetles, described by Muffetus.

Secondly, although we concede there be many unicorns, yet are we still to seek; for whereunto to affix this horn in question, or to determine from which thereof we receive this magnified medicine, we have no assurance, or any satisfactory decision. For although we single out one, and eminently thereto assign the name of the unicorn, yet can we

3 some conceive, &c.] Some information, on this much debated subject, was obtained by M. Rüppell, in Kordofan, where the unicorn was said to be known, and to bear the name of millekma. Persons of various conditions in life agreed to the statement, that the millekma was of a reddish colour, of the size of a small horse, of the slender make of a gazelle, and furnished with a long, straight, slender horn in the male, which was wanting in the female. Some added that it had divided hoofs, while others declared it to be single-hoofed. According to these statements it inhabits the deserts of the south of Kordofan, is uncom monly fleet, and comes only occasionally to the Koldagi slave mountain on the borders of Kordofan. Three several Arabs asserted to M. Rüppell that they had themselves seen the animal in question; and one of his slaves from Koldagi, on seeing the antelopes brought from the desert of Korti, gave, of his own free motion, a description of the millekma, exactly coinciding with the notices afterwards obtained by the traveller.

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The unicorn of Scripture, however, which is there spoken of as an animal of great size and strength, is probably one of the species of twohorned rhinoceros. Mr. Burchell has described one in the Bulletin des Sciences, Juin, 1817. In the 15th number of the Missionary Sketches, published by the London Missionary Society, is a description, panied by a wood-cut, of a species shot in South Africa-the head of which is preserved in the museum of the society, Old Jewry, London: which seems, on account of its great size, strength, and ferocity, and of the extraordinary length of its anterior horn, not unlikely to have been the unicorn of Scripture.