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Nieuhof, Johannes, 1618-1672 / An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham, emperor of China: delivered by their excellencies Peter de Goyer and Jacob de Keyzer, at his imperial city of Peking wherein the cities, towns, villages, ports, rivers, &c. in their passages from Canton to Peking are ingeniously described by John Nieuhoff; also an epistle of Father John Adams, their antagonist, concerning the whole negotiation; with an appendix of several remarks taken out of Father Athanasius Kircher; Englished and set forth with their several sculptures by John Ogilby
(1673)
[Kircher appendix] Chap. VIII. Of several fowls no where found but in China., pp. 414-415
Page 414
dSIVS IjRCHER%'S ?ar'd for them where each had his own proper s Guefis Feafled themfelves with good order and omedy I faw aded in the Imperial Palace at.4Sr4. HAP. VIII. Of feveral FowIs no where found but in China. A Mongft thefe the !Bird-PT oyal, which they call Fum Hoam, deferves the fira and chiefefi place; of whom Father Boim in his Flora gives us this following Account: "This Bird (faith he) of moft admirable beauty, if at any time abfcnt, or "a while unfeen, it is an Omen of fome Misfortune to the Royal Family3; ,the Male is call'd Fua, the Female Hoam ; they have their Neils in the " Mountains near 1'eking; their Heads are like a Peacocks : the Cbinefes em. *' blem their Shoulders to the Vertues, their Wings fignific Juftice, their Sides "Obedience, and the ,Nef Fidelity. This Pious Brd, as they term it, is in "this like a Rinoceros, that it never turns, but goeth backward, with the Ma- "jeflick pace of a Stag ; it hath a Cock's Train, Crefted like a Serpent, Feet "like a Tortoife, and Angels Wings. The Emperor, Colaos, and Mandorins, "have thefe Birds Embroider'd on their Veils and other Habits. In the Kingdom of Suchue are Fleece-bearing Hens, they are fmall Duck' leg'd, yet bold and daring, and are much efleem'd by the Women for their callow Down and foft Plumage, refembling Wooll, delightful to handle. They alfo report, That in this Province there is a Bird produc'd of the Flower Tunchon, which therefore iscall'd Tunchonfung. This Bird doth meafure out Life with the Days of the Flower, fo fading, and fo expiring : She is vefled with fo great variety of Plumes, that her Wings expanded, lively de- pottray the Beauties of the Flower when blown. Between Couchinchina and the Ifland Hainan, are many great and fmall Rocks,
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