[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach]
We noticed various very large goats' horns, one of which was four span in circumference. For this realm is
everywhere very prolific in horn, and moreover all
horned creatures are extraordinarily well furnished with
them.
We also saw two of the white caudae setosae vaccarum, such as Borricchius, and we too, had observed in
the Schola Anatomica.
Then we noticed different Cornua
Ammonis, such a size as I have never seen before.
Farther on was the head of a ram with four horns for, as
I remarked above, England is a terra maxime cornifera, and the cows have terrific horns, as large indeed as our
oxen.
There is also a very beautiful stuffed reindeer. It
has antlers like an elk, but otherwise resembles a stag in
size and form, with hair nearly the length of one's little
finger and almost as stiff as horse-hair, picked out or
sprinkled with grey-white or black and white.
Here, also, is a stuffed Indian ass, white with dark brown stripes or rings, such as I had already seen in Berlin.
Likewise we saw an extraordinarily big tortoise,
as also the skin of a Turkish goat: it is very large, yellowish-white, with very long, soft and rather crinkled hair, inches in length
and as soft as silk.
In the windows stood about thirty
glass vessels with all kinds of Indian botanical specimens, plants and flowers in spirit. As inscribed on them in
gold lettering, they are ex dono Cl. Viri D. Jacobi
Pound, M.B. (Med. Baccalaurei).
We further noticed a very large dens molaris over a finger in length and two inches thick. The accompanying memorandum:
"This is supposed to be one of the teeth of the Danish Giant Warwick found by M. Brown near Pontfreat Castle an. 1700," is a prodigious supposition. Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego. —
Also, a very long and wide skin of a
serpens candisorius, white with brown spots, about
twelve feet long and one and a half wide.
In several of the glasses, in brandy, were sundry strange creatures,
likewise presented by the above mentioned Pound, such
as a few snakes and amongst them a small rattle-snake.
Also a crocodile, a salamander, etc.
In one corner stood a cabinet in which were many beautiful lapides pretiosi,
such as I have seldom seen in such profusion and in the
centre were several fine lapides florentini; an uncommonly
good glosso-petra, about seven inches long
and two wide at the back, a lovely light green stone,
almost like Jasper and various beautiful crystals also,
amongst them two pieces with moss imbedded in them.
A splendid topaz, bigger than a walnut. An amethyst, as large again as the above, but faulty.
In the cabinet were
also some drawers which contained about thirty specimens
of old and new, but bad, coins.
Furthermore the Knight St. George and the Dragon, well cut in amber.
Likewise the Crucifixion of Christ, very delicately carved on a peach stone with the signature N. B.
Again the birth of Christ in just the same style,
as also a representation of the Saviour.
Further cherry-stones carved in
the same way.
Also Apollo fairly well cut in coral;
a calendarium runicum on eleven little wooden tablets
(the remaining one having been lost), each a finger
in length and not quite two fingers in breadth.
An abacus indicus which consists of a little wooden box
in which are some round bullets that can be moved with
a wire.
Earrings of dyed straw, the size of a nut and
shaped hke pearls such as women are said to have
worn in Spain in by-gone years.
Also several artistic objects of turned ivory.
Several beautiful rosaria in crystal and other materials.
Various curious specimens
of all sorts of succinum (amber), amongst them some with flies and one specially beautiful with a spider.
Two gold chains, one of which was presented to Ashmole by Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg,
the other by the King of Denmark, together with the
coins suspended from them.