 Most contemporary descriptions of the dodo are found in ship 's logs and journals of the Dutch East India Company vessels that docked in Mauritius when the Dutch Empire ruled the island . These records were used as guides for future voyages . Few contemporary accounts are reliable , as many seem to be based on earlier accounts , and none were written by scientists . One of the earliest accounts , from van <unk> 's 1598 journal , describes the bird as follows : 
