Folio 44v Commentary

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f44v Text: The female vulture gives birth without copulation, like the Virgin Mary. Vultures know when death is near. The virgin birth is a fantasy but it is likely that vultures live for a long time since they produce few eggs and breed infrequently. Illustration: two fierce birds oppose each other in a circle. The Bestiary illustrators did not know vultures, so the bird tends to look similar to the eagle.There is a faint sketch of two concentric circles to the left of the illustration. Within the circles it is just possible to discern the neck of the right vulture. One initial type 2. The illustration in detail