McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Common loon
Red-throated Loon, non-breeding
Gavia stellata
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 non-breeding Red-throated Loon from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: Europe, the United States, Canada, Northeastern Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Attributed to Collins, Charles].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Common loon (Gavia immer)
Manuscript note on back of drawing: The Greatest Speckled Diver or Loon Columbus Maximus Caudatus W. 341
Scientific name: Gavia stellata
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Columbus
6 Maximus caudatus. Will orn
The
Greatest Speckled Diver
or
Loon.
habitat in Anglia
This Bird is described Will. orn. p. 341
but is by mistake called Maximus
not being half so big as the preceding.
an Immer. LSN p. 222.
Colymbus pedibus palmatis tetradactylys [tetradactylis]
corpore supra nigracante [nigricante] albo undulato
No 38. Habitat in Oceano glaciali.
N.B I shot this bird in the fens in lincolnshire
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Columbus
6 Maximus caudatus. Will orn.
The
Greatest Speckled Diver
or
Loon.
It lives in England.
This Bird is described Will. orn. p. 341
but is by mistake called Maximus
not being half so big as the preceding.
an Immer. LSN p. 222.
Colymbus with four-toed palmate feet,
a body that is black on top with wavy white lines.
No 38. It lives on the frozen ocean.
N.B I shot this bird in the fens in Lincolnshire