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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'An account of a prodigiously large feather of the bird cuntur, brought from Chili [Chile], and supposed to be a kind of vultur; and of the coffee shrub' by Hans Sloane

Reference number: CLP/15i/44

Date: April 1694

Description

Sloane describes a bird, the 'Cuntur of Peru', whose existence has been doubted due to its size and strength. He shares Captain John Strong's account of having encountered the bird, noting its wingspan as 16 foot.Sloane describes a feather taken from the bird, measuring two foot and four inches in length. He goes on to describe a coffee shrub, having been presented with a dried branch from the shrub.

Subject: Zoology / Ornithology / Botany

Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'An account of a prodigiously large feather of the bird cuntur, brought from Chili, and supposed to be a kind of vultur; and of the coffee-shrub'

Read to the Royal Society on 4 April 1694

Reference number
CLP/15i/44
Earliest possible date
April 1694
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
2 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Hans Sloane

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Citation

Hans Sloane, Paper, 'An account of a prodigiously large feather of the bird cuntur, brought from Chili [Chile], and supposed to be a kind of vultur; and of the coffee shrub' by Hans Sloane, April 1694, CLP/15i/44, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_15i_44/paper-an-account-of-a-prodigiously-large-feather-of-the-bird-cuntur-brought-from-chili-chile-and-supposed-to-be-a-kind-of-vultur-and-of-the-coffee-shrub-by-hans-sloane, accessed on 05 October 2024

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_15i_44/paper-an-account-of-a-prodigiously-large-feather-of-the-bird-cuntur-brought-from-chili-chile-and-supposed-to-be-a-kind-of-vultur-and-of-the-coffee-shrub-by-hans-sloane

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  • Classified Papers

    Dates: 1592-1741

    The 'Classified Papers' of the Royal Society are papers from British and international natural philosophers and scholars categorised according to subject areas.

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