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64 WALTER CHARLETON and HIS " ONOMASTICON ZOICON." AMONG the Earlier Writers Who Contribute to Our Knowledge of Brit

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64 WALTER CHARLETON and HIS ( 64 WALTER CHARLETON AND HIS " ONOMASTICON ZOICON." BY W. H. MULLENS, M.A., IA.M., F.I»S. AMONG the earlier writers who contribute to our knowledge of British ornithology, Walter Charleton, the author of the Onomasticon Zoicon,h&s perhaps hardly received the attention which his writings merit. The reasons for this neglect are, however, obvious. The Onomasticon Zoicon was written in somewhat involved and curious Latin rarely interspersed with brief comments in English; it was not of sufficient importance to secure translation, and the date of its publication (1668) coming as it did immediately before that of Francis Willughby's famous Ornithology (Latin 1676, English 1678), was also prejudicial to its success. Nevertheless Charleton's work is worthy of more than the very scant notice which has been bestowed on it by the various writers and bibliographers who have dealt with early British ornithology. It is true that he does not add very greatly to the information contained in such well-known works as William Turner's Avium historia (1544) and Christopher Merrett's Pinax Rerum (1666), but many of his observa­ tions are of considerable interest, and are worthy of being rescued from the oblivion into which they have been allowed to fall. The Onomasticon Zoicon has been described as " A list with English, Latin, and Greek names of all known Animals, including an account of Charles II. menagerie in St. James's Park, followed by certain anatomical descriptions and a general account of fossils." This description hardly does justice to our author, as will, we think, be admitted from a perusal of some of the more interesting and important observations which we have taken fiom that portion of the work, some fifty-six pages in extent, which deals with birds, and with which we are here alone concerned. WALTER CHARLETON. 65 The Ml title and collation of the work is as follows :— Onomasticon Zoieon, / Plerorumque Animalium / Differential & Nomina Propria pluribus Lin- / guis exponens. / Cui aeeedunt / Mantissa Anatomiea; / et quaedam / De Variis Fossilium Generibus. / Autore / Gualtero Charletono, M.D. Oaroli II. Magnse Britanniae Reg- / is, Medico Ordinario, & Collegii Medicorum Londinen- / shim Socio / Londini, / Apud Jacobum Allestry Regalis Societatis Typogra- / phum. MDOLXVIII. Collation 1 vol. 4to. pp. XX un. + pp. 309 + pp. 34 un. of Indices. + several plates including 6 of birds. Subsequent editions appeared in 1671 (London) and 1677 (Oxford) the title in the last case being altered to "Gualteri Charletoni Exercitationes &ct." Commencing with the land-birds, Charleton deals first with the " Carnivora " as he terms the Raptores. He gives us a long and somewhat confused list of the eagles, vultures, falcons, and hawks, among which may be mentioned " Peregrinus the blewbackt Falcon, preying chiefly upon Herons," and informs us that it was named Peregrinus because it was always moving from one district to another, or because its nest could nowhere be discovered.* " Gyrfalco, the Gyrfalcon, frequent in Ireland." Among the Corvidse he notices the " Cornish Chough," which he tells us is abundant in Cornwall, and is there called the " Killigrew " (ef. Swainson, Provincial Names of British Birds, p. 74). Amongst other birds mentioned are " Loxia the Cross- beak or Shellaple," which he informs us is found in England from time to time. * There is nothing remarkable in Charletoti's ignorance of hawks and falcons ; long after his time we find that this subject was a constant source of error and confusion to our Ornithologists, a confusion which arose in part as Thomas Pennant (British Zoology, 4th Ed., Vol. I., p. 183) informs us from the fact that the various writers on natural history chose to adopt as distinct varieties the several different names used by the falconers to describe one species at various periods of its life. 66 BRITISH BIRDS. "Otis Tarda & Bistarda the Bustard Haec Avis in Mediterraneis (inland) Angliae partibus frequens est," a not particularly accurate account of the distribution of this interesting bird. " Ruffa the Spanish Partridge with bill and legs red." Charlebon writes that this bird (the Red- legged Partridge) was common in the island of Guarnsey (Guernsey) {cf. Yarrell, British Birds, Vol. III., p. 117). Under Passeres he notes: " Monfcanus of all our sparrows the most elegant; the Mountain sparrow with a reddish Crown, a black chin, and white descending from the head to the lower jaw, whence it is called amongst us the White-cap " an excellent account of the Tree-Sparrow, though the name " White-cap " seems hardly applicable. Then follow " Montifringilla the Bramble, Branding or Brier-finch," so called, he informs us, from frequenting and eating the fruit of brambles (ru&is). It may be remarked that no satisfactory derivation of the name " Brambling " has yet been suggested. " Merops the Bee-eater," which he describes as a very rare visitor to England. " Parus Cristatus, the crested or juniper titmouse (because it frequents juniper bushes)." It will be noticed that Charleton does not clearly say the Crested Tit was a British bird, though he implies so by giving the English name and designation. Thomas Muffet (1553-1604) in his " Health's Improvement," published in 1655, but written much earlier, states definitely that the Crested Tit was found in England, although he gives no authority for such a statement, and Charleton, to whom Muffet's work was well-known, may merely have copied that writer. "(Enantbe the Wheat Ear, White-tail, Horse-match " : Charleton notes it as a summer visitor, its frequency in Sussex and its fatness in the month of June, and tells us that in Warwickshire it was known as the Fallow-smiter (cf. Swainson, p. 9). " Upupa an Hoopoop—comes very rarely into England." Charleton then adds the curious and WALTER CHARLETON, FROM THE ENGRAVING IN HIS " IMMORTALITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL," 1657. WALTER OHARLETON, FROM THE ENGRAVING IN HIS " INQUIRIES INTO HUMAN NATURE," 1680. WALTER CHARLETON. 69 well-known note that one had been killed near London in the winter time and sent to him by a friend, and that this same specimen was figured in the plate of the bird which appears in his work. Descriptions of the water-birds then follow, amongst which me may notice " Avosetta the Scooper (because his long beak arched upward resembles the long crooked scoop with which Dutch Mariners throw up water to wet their sails)." Charleton notes that these birds visit the east coast of England in flocks in the winter time, and states that when a youth he had killed many of their young ones with leaden pellets (globulis plumbeis confodi) on the banks of the river Severn. "Avis Pugnax the Ruff (because in fighting they raise up their feathers on the neck, like a double Ruff)." He mentions vast migrations of this bird as coming from the north into the marshes of Lincolnshire, and adds " after three months they depart, I know not where." Charleton also gives us the well-known account of the Dotterel's mimicry, which he takes from Camden, and further quotes that author's derivation of the name Knot from Canute, and adds that this bird (the Knot) is a winter visitor, and that it is then so fat as to be much beloved of gluttons (abdomini nati). There is much more of interest in Charleton's notes on birds, but the above extracts will suffice to show that it is no mere list of names. In addition to the British birds he mentions many exotic ones, several of which he describes as being kept alive in the king's menagerie or vivarium, as it was then termed, in St. James's Park. This vivarium is mentioned by John Evelyn in his Diary, who notes that, in addition to the birds and beasts kept in captivity: " The parke was at this time (1664) stored with numerous flocks of several sorts of ordinary and extraordinary wild fowle, breeding about the Decoy, which for being neere so greate a citty, and among such a concourse of souldiers and people is a singular and 70 BRITISH BIEDS. diverting tiling " (Diary of John Evelyn, Vol. II., p. 178). Walter Charleton, who, like so many of the early writers on natural history, was by profession a physician, was born on February 2nd, 1619, and was the son of the rector of Shepton Mallet in Somerset. He was educated at home and entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford, when he was 16 years of age. His tutor was Dr. Wilkins (1614-72), whose influence is said to be apparent through­ out Charleton's writings. At the early age of 22 Charleton received the degree of M.D., and in the same year was appointed physician, to Charles I., when that monarch was visiting Oxford, an appointment which may be regarded as a mark of favour towards the University, rather than as a proof of Charleton's pro­ fessional skill, as the illustrious William Harvey was then the actual royal attendant. In 1850, Charleton seems to have settled in London. He remained true to the royal cause during the Commonwealth, and still retained his nominal appointment as physician to the exiled king. During some part of this period Charleton was residing in Russell Street, Covent Garden. At the Restoration he was continued in his office. He joined the Royal Society in 1662, being one of the first elected Fellows, and in January, 1676, he became a Fellow of the College of Physicians. Between 1660-92 he published a large number of works, the most notable of which was entitled Chorea Gigantwm (1663), a treatise intended to prove that Stonehenge was erected by the Danes and used as a royal coronation-place.
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