CHAP. 68.—THE PEŒNICOPTERITS, THE ATTAGEN, THE PHALACRO- CORAX, THE PYBRHOCORAX, AND THE LAGOPUS.
Apicius, that very deepest whirlpool of all our epicures, has informed us that the tongue of the phœnicopterus1 is of the most exquisite flavour. The attagen,2 also, of Ionia is a famous bird; but although it has a voice at other times, it is mute in captivity. It was formerly3 reckoned among the rare birds, but at the present day it is found in Gallia, Spain, and in the Alps even; which is also the case with the phalacrocorax,4 a bird peculiar to the Balearic Isles, as the pyrrhocorax,5 a black bird with a yellow bill, is to the Alps, and the lagopus,6 which is esteemed for its excellent flavour. This last bird derives its name from its feet, which are covered, as it were, with the fur of a hare, the rest of the body being white, and the size of a pigeon. It is not an easy matter to taste it out of its native country, as it never becomes domesticated, and when dead it quickly spoils.There is another7 bird also, which has the same name, and only differs from the quail in size; it is of a saffron colour, and is most delicate eating. Egnatius Calvinus, who was prefect there, pretends that he has seen8 in the Alps the ibis also, a bird that is peculiar to Egypt.
