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T.H.
White made a vigorous translation of a twelfthcentury one, which
included the mythic phoenix and the singing sirens amongst the
birds, along with an unidentified bird called the Caladrius, which
was completely white without a speck of black. Its dung, we are
told, is good for eye-trouble, and if it turns its back on a sick
man it is an infallible sign that he will die. White's best bird
list is one of names invented in mimicry of the birds' voices:
He points out that, "Why did the owl 'owl is an accurate
piece of etymology. Its name in most languages is of echoic origin." |
