A Lady Ann Fanshawe writes of a visit to Spain in 1664. She enthuses
about Spanish food.

One item is "a small bird that lives and fattens on grapes and corne,
so fatt that it exceeds the quantity of flesh."

She presumably means that its quantity of fat exceeds its quantity of
lean meat.

What bird is this?

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005, Richard Wright wrote:

> One item is "a small bird that lives and fattens on grapes and corne,
> so fatt that it exceeds the quantity of flesh."
>
> What bird is this?

Ortolan.

John Wexler
Edinburgh

"J Wexler" > wrote in message
. ac.uk...
> On Tue, 4 Oct 2005, Richard Wright wrote:
>
>> One item is "a small bird that lives and fattens on grapes and corne,
>> so fatt that it exceeds the quantity of flesh."
>>
>> What bird is this?
>
> Ortolan.
>

Until dining upon them, spitted and grilled, many decades ago on my first
trip to Spain, I did not know (and as USian tastes avoid, except for small
boys with BB guns) that the ortolan was more familiar as a common bunting,
or "bob'o link". But then they catch - in long hoprizontal nets - sparrows
for supper in Italy.

.....as I dined last evening upon the season's first dove. It's been too hot
to hunt, but the need to replace the central air at the house - and the
banging and hauling - drove me out into the fields for a little wing
shooting. It's dry, but both white wing and mourners are fat.

TMO