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Guinea-Fowl
Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris
Cha. Collins Fect. 1743 August
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 Helmeted Guineafowl from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: Africa, introduced in Caribbean, Australia, Europe, and North America].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Guinea-Fowl (Numida meleagris) Cha. Collins Fect. 1743 August
Scientific name: Numida meleagris
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Meleagris
Caput carunculis songiorsis [spongiosis] tectum.
Meleagris
Phasianus Vertice Calloso
Temporibus carunculatis. Lin S. N. p.158
Gallina Guiniensis
Habitat in Africa.
The Guinea Hen.
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Meleagris
The head is covered with spongy caruncles.
Meleagris
Phasianus with a hard-skinned crown
and fleshy temples. Lin S. N. p.158
Gallina Guiniensis
It lives in Africa.
The Guinea Hen.