O przyczynach dwóch ornitologicznych nieporozumień w tekście Kroniki wszytkiego świata Marcina Bielskiego

Abstract

ROOTS OF TWO ORNITHOLOGICAL MISTAKES FOUND IN THE CHRONICLES OF THE WHOLE WORLD BY MARCIN BIELSKI Two fragments from the tenth volume of Marcin Bielski’s Kronika Wszytkiego Świata [Chronicles of the Whole World], dealing with the discovery of Haiti by Columbus and with the arrival of Cadamosto’s men at the uncharted territory of what is now Senegal, contain descriptions of starlings, but with the appearance and behaviour that is not typical of this bird species. Taking into account the fact that starlings did not inhabit those lands at the time, the author of the article attempts to figure out both the reason behind the ornithological misunderstanding and the actual type of the birds the travelers met.