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Moose [female]
Moose, female
Alces alces
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Peter Paillou was born in London into a Huguenot family and was recognised in his own time as an eminent ‘bird painter’. In 1744 he began to paint for Taylor White and worked for him for almost thirty years, painting chiefly birds and mammals. He painted as well for Robert More, Joseph Banks, and for the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Many of his paintings of birds were used as the basis for book illustrations, often engraved by his colleague and fellow Huguenot, Peter Mazell. Paillou was elected to the Society of Artists and in 1763 he exhibited ‘A Piece of Birds, in Watercolours; the Hen of the Wood and Cock of the Red Game’. In 1778, to considerable approval, he also showed a picture of ‘A Horned Owl from Peru’, completely made from feathers.
Drawing of a female Moose from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: North America and Northern Europe.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Moose [female] (Alces alces)
Scientific name: Alces alces
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Mammalia Pecora Cervus
Alces
2 Cervus, cornibus acaulibus, palmatis
caruncula guturrali. LS.N p. 93. ed. nov
habitat in borealibus Europe, America
Asiaeq[ue] Populetis.
The Elk or Alce
The Moose Deer
That I saw was a Female sent by Genll
Wentworth Gov of New Hampshire in the yr 1769
to the marquis of Rockingham it was a Female a year
& half old in height five feet 2 inches & a half
to the top of the Bunch of its back. its upper lip
is divided like the Camell's. The Nostril is within ye upper Lip.
it had five teeth on each side of the under jaw
& I think about 6 Grinders I could not exactly
count them as they went to the extremity of the jaw
which I could not easyly reach. They were all
even. its eyes were small its nose hooked as
in the Camell. its ears large. has a bunch on the
Back over the shoulders covered will long hair also a mane of the
same sort from top of the head to the Bunch on the
back. a beard on the throat like some of the goat kind
a very short tail. its fore legs longer the hinder
legs so that it is forced to kneel when it feeds on
the grass. it holds its neck stretched forward. its
winter coat is long & shagged which it changes in
July for a very smooth coat of a Dark mouse colour
with a chesnut coloured cast. interspersed with white
hairs. like some of our Roan horses but darker
& not so red. The Beast was gentle, preferred
the leaves & branches of Trees to grass or herbs
it agrees in so many particulars with the shape
of the Camel. that I suspect it to be the same
with the Camelo-Pardalis. but Lineus' descrip-
-tion is too short to form a perfect judgment
of it. this beast came from New hampshire the Camelo- Pardalis
is said to be a native of Ethiopia & Senar.
a male was sent at the same time but died
in its passage
it is reported that some of these animals are
nine feet high.
& the fosil horns which are dug up in bogs in
Ireland & are said to be the horns of this animal.
I have heard that a male is now living at the
seat of the D: of Richmond.
of Deer.
The many Writers of Natural Historie have
left no subject more imperfectly treated on
then this Genus of Quadrupeds. the very
learned Lineus describes 7 Species.
The Camelo pardalis or Camel Leopard.
The Alces or Elk
The Stephus or Stag.
The Tarandus which he speaks of a Synonymous
Word with Rangifer. as described by Gesner
& Ray & the Capra Greenlandica or Greenland
Buck. described by Rai. quad. 90 & by Edw. av. 1.
t. 51. if it was not for so great an authority
I should make no doubt but that these were
3 Distinct animals. Linaeus says the
Tarandus inhabits Europe asia & America chiefly
in the Northern Parts.
5 The Dama or fallow Deer. 6. The Dorcas or Roebuck
6 the Guiniensis or Guinea Deer.
but I am very certain by the horns as well as
live beasts brought from America that the Rain
Deer which is used in Lapland for carriage
& draft is vastly diferent from any American
Dear & that both in the Northern parts
of America & of Europe there are very
diferent species. Some having palms on the
tops of their horn & Antlers on their foreheads
others both palms and Branches or Spikes
on the tops of the Horns & Antlers next
the forehead & the Rain Deer Palms on the
sumit & next the forehead & the place of the
Antler. & this beast never changes its horn
as all others do & the female is horned.
The figure Edwards gives of the Greenland
buck difers so vastly from all the fig. I have
met with of ye Rain deer convinces me it cant be the same
animal & yet it seems to me almost impossible
that so great a man as Linaeus who lives at Stockholm
should be mistaken in this matter. he certainly
must have seen the Rain Deer.
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Mammalia Pecora Cervus
1 Camelo-Pardalis
Cervus with very simple antlers, and very long
front legs. Lin: S. N: ed: 12. p. 92.
Camelo-pardalis Belon itin 119 Aldr. bisulc. 927. t 931.
Raii quadr. 90. Hasselqu. act. ups. 1750 p. 15. itim. 203.
Giraffa Briss. quad 61.
It lives in Ethiopia and Sennar.
It lies down by bending forward like a camel; it eats grass
by spreading out its front legs, but it feeds especially
on the leaves of trees.
This animal, furthermore, is dark, and sprinkled with white spots
like young deer.
Mammalia Pecora Cervus
Alces
2 Cervus, with stemless palmate antlers, and
caruncles on the throat. LS.N p. 93. ed. nov
It lives in the northern parts of Europe, America,
and Asia, in poplar groves.
The Elk or Alce
The Moose Deer
That I saw was a Female sent by Gen[era]ll
Wentworth Gov[ernor] of New Hampshire in the y[ea]r 1769
to the marquis of Rockingham it was a Female a year
& half old in height five feet 2 inches & a half
to the top of the Bunch of its back. its upper lip
is divided like the Camells. The Nostril is within [the] upper Lip.
it had five teeth on each side of the under jaw
& I think about 6 Grinders I could not exactly
count them as they went to the extremity of the jaw
which I could not easyly reach. They were all
even. its eyes were small its nose hooked as
in the Camell. its ears large. has a bunch on the
Back over the shoulders covered [with] long hair also a mane of the
same sort from top of the head to the Bunch on the
back. a beard on the throat like some of the goat kind
a very short tail. its fore legs longer the hinder
legs so that it is forced to kneel when it feeds on
the grass. it holds its neck stretched forward. its
winter coat is long & shagged which it changes in
July for a very smooth coat of a Dark mouse colour