MS M.81, fols. 63v–64r
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Worksop Bestiary
England, possibly in Lincoln or York
ca. 1185
215 x 155 mm
Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) in 1902
MS M.81, fols. 63v–64r
Description:
Hoopoo (left)
The hoopoo is described as a filthy animal, living among offal and human waste, but also as an example to humans for the care it takes of its parents.
Ibis (right)
The ibis is shown clutching a serpent while it regurgitates the snake’s eggs to feed its young—a detail not mentioned in the text, but which the illuminator must have known from other bestiaries.