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.