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Dear Members: I am currently working on a passage from the Rahonament of Arnold of Villanova in which he uses two similes to describe the two Franciscan cardinals in the Curia: Gentil of Montefiore and John of Murrovalle. He likens the first to a duck (in catalan: "àneda"; in latin: anata) and the second to an ostrich (in catalan: "esturç"; in latin: "strucio"). My question is for those familiar with the symbolism of animals in the Middle Ages or, more likely, with medieval bestiaries - of which I am totally ignorant (for shame!). Do ducks and ostriches have a certain meaning or moral (or immoral) association in the medieval world? Beyond the "explanation" given in the text itself - that ducks swim regularly in the "waters of carnal delights" and that ostrich wings are like the wings of hawks and falcons which soar so high while seemingly never leaving the earth, i.e, remaining tied to the earth - is their a more specific association which would help me grasp more fully the implication of the text? Thanks, in advance. Michael Cusato, ofm [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%