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British Nuthatch
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaea
Cha. Collins Fect. April. 1743
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Charles Collins was an Irish painter, known for his portraits of animals and still-lifes. He achieved success in England painting exotic birds, game, dogs and dead game still-lifes. He was the painter for Robert Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Fruit’ (1732). In 1736 he published in collaboration with John Lee a set of 12 large engravings, coloured by hand, of British birds in landscape and garden settings, entitled Icones avium cum nominibus anglicis. He then came to the attention of Taylor White, who engaged him to paint birds from his and others’ collections until 1743. Collins died in 1744, when he was described as ‘Bird Painter to the Royal Society.’
Drawing of a pair of Eurasian Nuthatchs from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Europe (excluding Ireland); Turkey, Caucausus, the Southern coast of Sea and Caspian Sea, Iran, the Altai Mountains, Mongolia, Central China, Eastern Russia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: British Nuthatch (Sita Europea affinis) Cha. Collins Fect. April. 1743;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: Sitta the Nuthatch
Scientific name: Sitta europaea
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Europaea
Sitta. rectricibus nigris: lateralibus quatuor
infra apicem albis. L.S.N. p.115
Habitat in Europa
The Nuthatch.
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Europaea
Sitta. with black flight feathers on the tail: with four on the sides
that have white tips underneath. L.S.N. p.115
It lives in Europe The Nuthatch.