Don't know if this is any help at all but there is a type of jelly fish called 'Portuguese man of war'. It could be that there other 'men of war' in other parts of nature. I've no idea why these jelly fish are so called, only that they are very poisonous and you have to avoid touching them. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "E & R Shanahan" <ears@gil.com.au> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 12:43 AM Subject: [OEL] quill pens query > Here is a good question for the list members... > We have just bought a letter of 1806, written from Carnock Manse in > Scotland to a brother in Edinburgh, and it includes this intriguing sentence > > quote > We have had pretty good weather and the harvest is just about beginning. > We are traversing the hills every day seeking Crow quills but can find no > Men O' War, but plenty of small. > unquote > > Does anyone know of this kind of designation for quills - was there a > general standard for sizing them? We had not realised that crow quills > would have been used, as most mentions we have seen are to goose quills, > but suppose that any good large feather would provide a source for a pen. > > any information appreciated > Eunice and Ron in Queensland > > > ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== > Going away for a while? > Don't forget to UNSUBSCRIBE! > OLD-ENGLISH-L-request@rootsweb.com > >