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The Dodo and its Kindred: Or The History, Affinities, and Osteology of the Dodo, Solitaire, and Other Extinct Birds of the Islands Mauritius, ...
Well versed in natural history, particularly geology and ornithology, Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811 53) became fascinated by the dodo and mankind's influence on its extinction. Seeking to investigate this flightless bird and other extinct species from islands in the Indian Ocean, he invited the comparative anatomist Alexander Gordon Melville (1819 1901) to help him separate myth from reality. Divided into two sections, this 1848 monograph begins with Strickland's evaluation of the evidence, including historical reports as well as paintings and sketches, many of which are reproduced. Melville then analyses the osteology of the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire, describing his findings from dissections of the few available specimens and making comparisons with similar species. A seminal work, it correctly concluded that the dodo was more closely related to pigeons than vultures, and the book also inspired others to take up the search for new fossil evidence."
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1848
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 9, 2022
I had an very unusual experience with this book, finding a copy of it it in an old independent library in northern England. Without being sure why, on a rainy day in Newcastle I decided to sit down in the halls of the library (the "Lit and Phil"; and incredible place), and read a first edition of this nearly 180 year old book. And I had one of my favorite experiences with a book I can remember in a long time.
The author's aim is to prove the existence of the extinct bird known as the Dodo, which died out several hundred years before the book was written, as well as several other species (including another large flightless pigeon relative known as the Solitaire). He gathers together all of the evidence; circumstantial, pictorial, and osteological in order that the bird should be remembered by science. He hopes that the book will have helped to "rescue these anomalous creatures from the domain of Fiction, and establish their true rank in the Scheme of Creation." At the time of the book's writing, the dodo was still not considered a certainty by scientists, with many suspecting it to have been a creation of sailor's imaginations.
The existence of the Dodo was, for a long time, recorded only in the naval diaries of a few French and Dutch explorers, who happened on the islands of Mauritius and made slight notes of the animals which they ate (parrots, tortoises, and various large and flightless birds). Written in a combination of English, Dutch, Latin, French and Spanish, he connects all accounts in order to try to establish a timeline of when the bird died. A few clumsy drawings were almost all of what was recorded. Strickland also manages to track down several pieces of bone of the Dodo, and the second half of the book is dedicated to meticulously describing the osteological details of these remains, lest they should be lost to science. Based on various descriptions, he tries to record what little we might be able to piece together about the birds' behavior, habitat, and lifestyle, while also noting the shortcomings of relying on the "rude" accounts of sailors and tradesmen. The weaving together of the stories of the various sailors, and his attempts to try to trace all known images (all of which were drawings or reproductions), is fascinating, and at the time of writing must have been a rather impressive feat. The second half of the book, detailing the skull and bone fragments gathered, is hardly a riveting read, but still is admirable for the incredible detail put into the analysis. The book has a sad acceptance of the role of extinction in the natural world, seeing it more as a result of God's order to man to "be fruitful and multiply". He sees the extinction as the result of indigenous people, rather than the "rude voyagers" from Europe whose accounts he relies on; all of which detail the decimation of the population by each successive visit.
Of course, I can't say that everyone who comes across this book is going to love it, and I would never recommend someone else read it unless they are specifically interested in 19th century literature on extinct animals. As a bibliophile, however, sitting down and reading a nearly 200 year old copy of a book was an incredible experience, even if the core takeaway is to note that human beings have been aware of the damage we are doing to the natural world for hundreds and hundreds of years, and we still don't seem to have learned the lessons that should have been taught to us by the demise of the Dodo and its kindred.
The author's aim is to prove the existence of the extinct bird known as the Dodo, which died out several hundred years before the book was written, as well as several other species (including another large flightless pigeon relative known as the Solitaire). He gathers together all of the evidence; circumstantial, pictorial, and osteological in order that the bird should be remembered by science. He hopes that the book will have helped to "rescue these anomalous creatures from the domain of Fiction, and establish their true rank in the Scheme of Creation." At the time of the book's writing, the dodo was still not considered a certainty by scientists, with many suspecting it to have been a creation of sailor's imaginations.
The existence of the Dodo was, for a long time, recorded only in the naval diaries of a few French and Dutch explorers, who happened on the islands of Mauritius and made slight notes of the animals which they ate (parrots, tortoises, and various large and flightless birds). Written in a combination of English, Dutch, Latin, French and Spanish, he connects all accounts in order to try to establish a timeline of when the bird died. A few clumsy drawings were almost all of what was recorded. Strickland also manages to track down several pieces of bone of the Dodo, and the second half of the book is dedicated to meticulously describing the osteological details of these remains, lest they should be lost to science. Based on various descriptions, he tries to record what little we might be able to piece together about the birds' behavior, habitat, and lifestyle, while also noting the shortcomings of relying on the "rude" accounts of sailors and tradesmen. The weaving together of the stories of the various sailors, and his attempts to try to trace all known images (all of which were drawings or reproductions), is fascinating, and at the time of writing must have been a rather impressive feat. The second half of the book, detailing the skull and bone fragments gathered, is hardly a riveting read, but still is admirable for the incredible detail put into the analysis. The book has a sad acceptance of the role of extinction in the natural world, seeing it more as a result of God's order to man to "be fruitful and multiply". He sees the extinction as the result of indigenous people, rather than the "rude voyagers" from Europe whose accounts he relies on; all of which detail the decimation of the population by each successive visit.
Of course, I can't say that everyone who comes across this book is going to love it, and I would never recommend someone else read it unless they are specifically interested in 19th century literature on extinct animals. As a bibliophile, however, sitting down and reading a nearly 200 year old copy of a book was an incredible experience, even if the core takeaway is to note that human beings have been aware of the damage we are doing to the natural world for hundreds and hundreds of years, and we still don't seem to have learned the lessons that should have been taught to us by the demise of the Dodo and its kindred.
January 30, 2023
Tedioso
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews