What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
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This beautifully illustrated log was kept by Thomas Dyke, a master mariner from Poole, while he sailed aboard the schooner Cora on voyages across the Atlantic and up and down the American coast.
Thomas Dyke was a Poole master mariner who worked on ships all over the UK in the mid to late 1800s, particularly in the Newfoundland trade. His voyage abroad the Cora began on the 31st July 1872 when the schooner left Greenock in Scotland at noon to make the 2000 mile trip across the Atlantic to St John’s in Newfoundland. Thomas diligently records the conditions and day-to-day happenings on each leg of a voyage that would take the Cora to Pernambuco, Brazil, Brooklyn in the US, and Malaga in Spain.
Amongst the day-to-day details and his long hand calculations, however, Thomas took the time to sketch other ships that caught his eye, as well as various elaborately uniformed characters, knights in armour, and even castles and country houses.
Crewing a sailing ship on these long, perilous journeys was gruelling work that kept seafarers away from their homes and families for long stretches, although sometimes higher-ranking sailors like Thomas could bring members of their families along. Records show that he brought his 8-year-old son Percy on a trip to Sunderland aboard another ship called the Volunteer in 1881. In their spare time, sailors often indulged in crafts or hobbies such as sketching or carving scrimshaws.
‘December the 27th 1874 the winds being light let go the anchor in 27 with 90 of chain furled all sails & got the boat out & went shooting. Shot ten couple of wild ducks & five do. of pigeon went on board and got them ready for cooking the cook being sick done it myself after eating the ten couple of ducks drank one quart of home brewed ale smoked one ounce of tobacco & twelve cigars I laid me down and slept.
A merry Christmas and happy new year to all folkes of England’
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!