McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Common Partridge [male] & [female]
Gray Partridge, male and female
Perdix perdix
Cha. Collins Fect. Febry 1742-3;
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 male and female Gray Partidges from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Canada, the Northern United States, Europe, and Central Asia].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Common Partridge [male] & [female] (Perdix perdix) Cha. Collins Fect. Febry 1742-3;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: The Common Partridge Perdix Cinerea W. 166
Scientific name: Perdix perdix
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Perdix
Tetrao pedibus nudis, macula
nuda coccinea pene [pone] occulos cauda
ferruginea sterno bruneo. L.S.N. p. 160
Habitat in Europa Agris,
The Comon Partridge
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Perdix
Tetrao with bare feet, a
bare scarlet patch behind the eyes, a reddish-brown tail
and a brown breast L.S.N. p.160
It lives in fields in Europe.
The Com[m]on Partridge