The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

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Henrik Høyer ( - fl. 1604)

German physician who arrived in Bergen, Norway, in 1593 and corresponded with Carolus Clusius about naturalia he observed there. In 1596, Høyer brought specimens to Clusius in Leyden, and their correspondence informed Clusius's Rariorum plantarum historia (Antwerp, 1601) (De Luca and Norum, 2101-2102). Clusius also used Høyer's observations on birds in his Exoticorum libri decem (1605) (MacGregor, 141-2). Relevant locations: Lived at or near Norway, Europe
 Relationships: Henrik Høyer was a correspondent of Charles de l'Écluse (1525/6-1609)

 Linked print sources: as Mentions or references - Naturalists in the Field Collecting, Recording and Preserving the Natural World from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-First Century.
as Mentions or references - Scurvy and Cloudberries: A Chapter in the History of Nutritional Sciences.
 References in Documents:
MS Book of the Principal of Brasenose College (MacGregor, ed.) 36 An Skua Hojeri Will. 345. Tab. 67? Perhaps the Skua of Høyer. Willughby 1678, p. 34[8], tab. 67.
MS Book of the Principal of Brasenose College (MacGregor, ed.) 37 Lomwia Hojeri in Epist ad ClusiũWill. 324. T. 65. Guillemot. The Lomwia of Høyer, mentioned in a letter to Clusius. Willughby 1678, p. 324, tab. 65.
MS Book of the Principal of Brasenose College (MacGregor, ed.) 42 Alka Hojeri in Epist ad Clusium Anglis septentrionalibus an Auk, Cornubiensibus a murre; Alicubi A Razor Bill. Will. p. 323. T. 65. 4, 5 Razorbill. The Alka, described in a letter from Høyer to Clusius. In northern England termed an Auk, in Cornwall a Murre, and elsewhere a Razorbill. Willughby 1678, p. 323, tab. 64-5.
MS Book of the Principal of Brasenose College (MacGregor, ed.) Ova Lomwiæ Hojeri. 7. Egg of the Guillemot or Lomwia of Høyer.
MS Book of the Principal of Brasenose College (MacGregor, ed.) Ova Alkæ Hojeri. 5. Egg of the Razorbill or Alka of Høyer.
Excerpts from Ornithology (1876) related to Sir Thomas Browne's and the Tradescants' collections
§. I. The greatest speckled Diver or Loon: Colymbus maximus caudatus; Mergus max. Farrensis five Arcticus, Clus.

THisThis is a singular kind of Bird, and as it were of a middle nature between whole-footed birds with four fore-toes and with three. In bigness it exceeds a tame Duck, coming near to a Goose. It is long-bodied, hath a round Tail, and a small Head. The upper part of the Neck next to the Head is covered with feathers so thick set, that it seems to be bigger than the very Head it self.

The colour of the upper part, viz. the Neck, Shoulders, covert-feathers of the Wings, and whole Back, is a dark grey or dusky, pointed or speckled with white spots, thinner set on the Neck, and thicker on the Back. These white spots are big­ger upon the long scapular feathers and coverts of the Wings, and smaller in the mid­dle of the Back. The lower part of the Neck, the Breast and Belly are white. In a bird I saw that was killed in the Isle of Jarsey the Head was black and also the Neck, which had a white (or rather grey) ring, about the middle of an inch or inch and half broad, consisting of abundance of small white specks. We counted in the two outmost * Internodia. i. e. bones between joynt and joynt. *joynts of each Wing thirty quil-feathers, but they are short, all black, or of a dark brown. It hath a very short Tail, of the figure of a Ducks, made up of at least twenty feathers. Its Bill is streight, sharp, like that of the Guillem, almost three inches long; the upper Mandible black or livid, covered with feathers to the very Nosthrils, reflected a little upwards; the nether is white. The Nosthrils are divided in the middle by a skin hanging down from above. It is whole-footed, and hath very long fore-toes, especially the outmost. The back-toe is very short and little. Its Legs are of a mean length, but flat and broad like the ends of Oars, the exteriour surface being brown or black: The interiour livid or pale-blue. The Claws broad like the nails of a man. The Legs in this bird are situate almost in the same plain with the Back; so that it seems not to be able to walk unless erected perpendi­cularly upon the Tail. It hath no Labyrinth upon the Wind-pipe. The Liver is di­vided into two Lobes, and hath a bladder to contain Gall: Above the stomach the Gullet is dilated into a kind of Craw, the interiour surface whereof is granulated with certain papillary glandules. The Throat is vast, loose, and dilatable. The guts large, especially towards the stomach; The stomach less fleshy and musculous than in granivorous birds.

The Bird described was shot on the River Tame in Warwickshire. I have seen four of them, 1. One at Venice in Italy: 2. One in Yorkshire at Dr. Hewleys, shot near Cawood: 3. A third in the Repository of the Royal Society: 4. A fourth in the house of my honoured friend Mr. Richard Darley in London, taken in the Isle of Jarsey. They differ something one from another in colours. For some of them have a ring about their necks, their Back, Neck and Head blacker, and painted with little white lines: Others want the ring, and have the upper side of their bodies more ash-coloured or grey, varied with white specks, and not lines. Perchance these are the Hens, those the Cocks.

That which Clusius described was bigger than a tame Goose, or at least equal to it. For from the Neck, where it joyns to the Breast, to the Rump it was two foot long. The compass of the body round was more than two foot. The Wings were fourteen inches long: The Tail scarce three: The Tongue almost three: The Bill more than four: The Neck near eight, and somewhat more in compass: The Head short, three inches broad: The Legs somewhat longer than three inches: The Feet four inches wide. So far Clusius, Of that which Mr. Willughby described at Venice the measures were as followeth: The weight thirty six ounces: The length from Bill to Claws thirty one inches; from Bill to Tail twenty eight. The Bill from the tip to the an­gles of the mouth was almost three inches long: The Tail two: The second bone of the Leg four and a quarter; the third two and an half; the outmost fore-toe three inches and an half. The Tongue long, sharp, having a transverse bed of asperities not far from the bottom, beneath which it is toothed on each side, as this figure re­presents.

[tiny diagram]
In the Palate, on each side the fissure, are five rows of prickles or asperities. The blind guts were three inches and an half long. Hence it manifest­ly appears, that the bird described by Clusius was bigger than ours. But perchance Clusius his was a Cock, ours a Hen. For those I saw at Dr. Hewleys and Mr. Darleys were nothing at all less than that of Clusius, sent him by Hoierus. But what Hoier writes of them, that they cannot fly at all, is a mistake; for though they never breed in England, yet in hard Winters they come over hither. I scarce believe they swim so far. Whence it is manifest, that they not only flie, but make great flights.

. . .

Excerpts from Ornithology (1876) related to Sir Thomas Browne's and the Tradescants' collections

That which Clusius described was bigger than a tame Goose, or at least equal to it. For from the Neck, where it joyns to the Breast, to the Rump it was two foot long. The compass of the body round was more than two foot. The Wings were fourteen inches long: The Tail scarce three: The Tongue almost three: The Bill more than four: The Neck near eight, and somewhat more in compass: The Head short, three inches broad: The Legs somewhat longer than three inches: The Feet four inches wide. So far Clusius, Of that which Mr. Willughby described at Venice the measures were as followeth: The weight thirty six ounces: The length from Bill to Claws thirty one inches; from Bill to Tail twenty eight. The Bill from the tip to the an­gles of the mouth was almost three inches long: The Tail two: The second bone of the Leg four and a quarter; the third two and an half; the outmost fore-toe three inches and an half. The Tongue long, sharp, having a transverse bed of asperities not far from the bottom, beneath which it is toothed on each side, as this figure re­presents.

[tiny diagram]
In the Palate, on each side the fissure, are five rows of prickles or asperities. The blind guts were three inches and an half long. Hence it manifest­ly appears, that the bird described by Clusius was bigger than ours. But perchance Clusius his was a Cock, ours a Hen. For those I saw at Dr. Hewleys and Mr. Darleys were nothing at all less than that of Clusius, sent him by Hoierus. But what Hoier writes of them, that they cannot fly at all, is a mistake; for though they never breed in England, yet in hard Winters they come over hither. I scarce believe they swim so far. Whence it is manifest, that they not only flie, but make great flights.