Deák Antal András: A Duna fölfedezése

Tartalom - III.A DANUBIUS PANNONICO-MYSICUS, 1726

T II E DISCOVERY OF THE DANUBE the Dewerkesegi (bream), Pontty (carp), Kenig (king-carp), which are mentioned by their Hungarian names as well. Even the scales of the king-carp were drawn to full-scale. He described his personal carp fishing experience as well. On the 5

t

h of March 1701 he caught a 4 feet long carp weighing 27 kg in the Temes river on the border with Transylvania. He also discusses northern pike. He related an experience with regard to this fish as well: it Dys its eggs in March, when it comes up from the bottom and usually withdraws to the reeds. In this period, is it nearly totally blind and so disoriented that it can be lifted from the water with bare hands when it strays near the surface. I myself saw such a thing in the flowing Danube branch at Vienna. A circa 4 kg pike was seen floating on the surface. After it had Did its numerous eggs on a stone, it did not become frightened and did not flee when two people approached it in a boat, but was so much dazed that they could lift it into the boat with their bare hands. However, since they did not watch it, the fish recovered, sprang back into the river and escaped. Fish living among stones. These fish are also divided according to their skins. Three species were separated out from among the fish with smooth skins. One was the Menyhal (burbot), which is mentioned by its Hungarian name as well. The fish with scaly skins are described in six chapters. Among them he mentions trout and even salmon. Following the description of the fish, he described four more animals that live in water or favour habitats close to water: crayfish, shellfish, water snail and turtles. These animals are illustrated in 70 figures altogether, mostly in picture plates. Beside the Latin names of the fish species, he provides the German, Serbian and sometimes also Greek and Hungarian names. 29

2 Volume V, p. 124. VOLUME V. BIRDS LIVING BY THE WATERS OF THE DANUBE AND THEIR NESTS Marsigli dealt with both the nests and eggs of the birds because, as he said, no researcher had ever paid attention to the descriptions and observation of the nesting places and eggs of the described birds. He did not restrict his investigation to the Danube but was also interested in the birds of the Tisza (p. 5). Regarding the classification of the birds he followed Willugbei, while in the descriptions he relied on work by Aldrovani, Gesner and Jonston. He described some new species as well. He believed, for example, that he had discovered the golden yellow heron (asrea cinerea flavescens), a nova species, he wrote proudly (plate 8), similarly to the greenish, yellowish heron (ardea viride flavescens, plate 9) or the dark brown heron (ardea fusca, plate 10). Sometimes we find aspects of his work that are shockig to modern people who know these birds only as protected animals: Its meat is extremely soft and tasty (p. 56).In his description of the eggs, he paid attention, not only to the exterior features but also to their interior structure and properties. He found that the shells of the eggs of the birds that lived along the Danube was harder than those of other birds. He also discovered that the white of the egg was larger in the eggs of water fowls. Sometimes he mentioned the way they tasted. When for example, he described the eggs of the dark brown ducks living along the Danube he remarked that they were less suitable for consummtion, because they had too wild' a taste.

29

2 The volume is enriched by 59 depictions of birds (42x29 cm) and 15 drawings of bird nests along with the eggs (also 41x29 cm). IMAGE No. 35 on page 75: Pike IMAGE No. 36 on page 75: Crustaceans and tortoises are included the fishes by Marsigli IMAGE No. 37 on page 76: Little heron IMAGE No. 38 on page 77: Little egret (Egretta garzetta) IMAGE No. 39 on page 78: Bittern (Botaurus s. stellaris) IMAGE No. 40 on page 79: Arctic duck (Fuligula clangula) IMAGE No. 41 on page 79: A nest of wild ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) 152