Billy Tidy Cartoons
William Edward "Bill" Tidy, MBE (born 9 October 1933), is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Tidy was appointed MBE in 2000 for "Services to Journalism".
He has drawn cartoons for this exhibition.
Elk leaning against tree
The Nature of the Terrestrial Animals VIII.16: The Animals of the North: the Elk, the Achlis and the Bonasus.
‘There is also the achlis, which is produced in the island of Scandinavia; it has never been seen in this city, although we have had descriptions of it from many persons; it is not unlike the elk, but has no joints in the hind leg. Hence it never lies down, but reclines against a tree while it sleeps; it can only be taken by previously cutting into the tree, and this laying a trap for it, as otherwise, it would escape through its swiftness.’
Invasion of frogs
The Nature of the Terrestrial Animals VIII.43(29) Nations that have been exterminated by animals.
‘M.Varro informs us that a town in Spain was undermined by rabbits, and one in Thessaly by mice; that the inhabitants of a district in Gaul were driven away by frog and a place in Africa by locusts…; that the inhabitants of Gyarus, one of the Cyclades, were driven away by mice; and the Amunclae in Italy by serpents… and Theophrastus informs us, that the people of Rhoeteum were driven away by scolopendrae (millipedes).’
Octopus, dogs and tridents
The Natural History of Fishes IX.48 L.
‘Lucullus the proconsul of Baetica… has given particulars that still more closely border on the marvellous. At Carteia, in the preserves there, a polypus (octopus) was in the habit of coming from the sea to the pickling tubs that were left open, and devouring the fish laid in salt there….At last by its repeated thefts and immoderate depredations, it drew upon itself the wrath of the keeper so the works. Palisades were laid before them, but these the polypus managed to get over by the aid of a tree, and it was only caught at last with the help of trained dogs, which surrounded it at night, as it was returning to its prey; upon which the keepers awakened by the noise, were struck with alarm at the novelty of the sight presented. First of all, the size of the polypus was enormous beyond all conception… and it exhaled a most dreadful stench… it was only with the greatest difficulty that it could be dispatched with the aid of a considerable number of 3-pronged fish spears. Its head was as big as 15 amphorae. It remains which were carefully preserved as a curiosity weighed 700 lbs.’
Sea water used to make wine
Book XIV The Natural History of the fruit Trees Chapter 10 Seven kinds of salted wines.
‘Sea water in wine: the people of Cos mix seawater in large quantities with their wines, an invention they first learned from a slave who adopted this method of supplying the deficiency that had been caused by his thievish propensities.’
Event sponsored by Colisseum cucumbers
XIX.23
‘Tiberius had beds in frames upon wheels by which the cucumbers were moved and exposed to the full heat of the sun… in winter under protection of frames glazed with ‘mirror stone’ (?)
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Pliny refers to this again in XXI (flowers used in chaplets) but where it was placed on the outside of bee hives so people could watch the bees inside working (educational beehive?)
Incendiary bird
The Natural History of Birds (X.17): Birds the Race of which is Extinct or of which all knowledge has been lost’
'An inauspicious bird is that known as the incendiary on account of which the city has had to be repeatedly purified; as for instance in the consulship of L. Cassius and C. Marius in which year also it was purified in consequence of a horned owl being seen. What kind of bird this incendiary bird was, we do not find stated, nor is it known by tradition. Some persons explain the term this way; they say that the name incendiary was applied to every bird that was seen carrying a burning coal from the pyre or altar, while others, again, call such a bird a spinturnix...’
Birds of prey have been spotted deliberately spreading wildfires to flush and pray, hinting acting ability to control fire which was thought to be unique to humans. ornithologist Bob Gosford and his team have evidence of many sightings of birds blazes on purpose from rangers managing natural fires in Australia's Northern Territory. The three species involved are black kites, whistling kites and brown falcons. They pick up burning twigs from existing fires and drop them elsewhere to start new blaze. In effect, the birds use burning sticks as tools. The claims by Mr Gosford, of the Central Land Council in Alice Springs, were originally doubted by biologists when they received global coverage in 2016. Now he and his colleagues have published a paper based on 20 eye-witness accounts. The most dramatic evidence comes from Dick Eussen, as former firefighter. He recounts fighting a blaze in the Northern Territory in the 1980s, only to find a new one on the other side of the road. As he tried to extinguish that fire, is saw a whistling kite 60ft away. The bird carried a smoking stick, which he dropped, creating another fire. In all, Mr Eussen extinguished seven new blazes started by the kites. Fellow firefighter Nathan Ferguson saw hundreds of kites swirling around a fire in Howard Springs Northern Territory in the 2001-02 fire season.
Some manners to set fires in grassland 160ft away.
Mr Gosford said: "We believe the observations provide cogent evidence this behaviour occurs, that it is intentional and that it may happen more frequently than suspected.'
He plans to film wild birds around flames under controlled conditions.
The new accounts have already won over sceptics. Steve Debus, research fellow at the University of New England in New South Wales, said: 'I now think the new evidence is compelling that fire spreading is deliberate, rather than accidental.'
He pointed out that he had seen kites use scraps of bread to lure fish.
If they can do that, 'then they have the Intelligence to spread fires too.'
The birds only appear to start fires if an existing one might go out. An extinguished fire would not expose more prey, so the birds have an interest in keeping it going. Mr Godford's team is gathering evidence that avians in the Americas, Africa and South Asia exhibit the same behavior.
article appeared on Metro newspaper