The Goal of the Wise

At the top of the page, a horizontal row of six waterfowl, including geese and ducks, stands on a grassy strip punctuated by red and blue flowers. Between the two columns of text on the right side of the page, there are two pairs of long-legged wading birds: an upper pair of grey herons or cranes and a lower pair of storks, one black and one white. Along the bottom margin, another horizontal row features five birds: a peacock on the left, followed by two different species of waterfowl, a dark bird of prey, and a small brownish bird, possibly a shorebird.

Faint, uncolored sketches of three long-necked birds arranged vertically in the left margin.

...they do not always have this dwelling in the waters, but they return from the waters for two main [reasons]: some for food, because their nature desires this, [so] they return to the waters, as is the case in the different genera of geese and the different genera of ducks and similar ones. But other birds always remain on the lands, nor do they ever go to the waters except for the sake of their drink and for bathing, as is the manner of quail, partridges, and falcons. Bustards and those ducks which are called "field [ducks]," which are similar to bustards but much smaller, peacocks, and many of this kind. There are birds that always remain on the lands but recede from the lands and go to the waters for drink and bathing, and also for food; then they return to the lands so that they may remain and rest on the lands, as their nature demands. A certain genus of eagles which are called "fishing eagles" original: "aquile piscatrices" [do this]. These submerge themselves in the sea, in rivers, and in lakes to fish; afterwards, they return to remain on the land in cliffs and trees. And deservedly, such eagles are called terrestrial, even though they are of the genus of birds of prey, and we say that all birds of prey are terrestrial.

[Between] the aquatic and terrestrial [birds], there is a triple mode; for there are some that remain more freely in one than in the other, according to what their nature and the movement of their [bodily] elements desire, so that they may be left more to one [element]. There are some that remain longer in the waters, [while] others remain more in both, such as plovers, lapwings original: "vannelli", and others of this kind. Some plovers avoid the waters less than lapwings, and lapwings more than others. Those that wander more are held to be closer to the nature of terrestrial [birds] than aquatic ones. Plovers and lapwings, indeed, when it has rained, often sleep at night, and others [do so] more often. And there are some that [prefer] to remain in external waters, such as the genera of larger and smaller cranes. Both species of storks, namely the others and the black ones. The black ones, however, are more often [found] remaining in the waters, and they are frequently white, aiming to fish in the waters and in watery places and in soft meadows; then they return to remain on the land. Therefore, [this] contains all genera of birds, all those species [having] less difference [between] those that are aquatic, terrestrial, and intermediate. It should also be known that those intermediate birds which...