McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Red-legged Partridge
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufa
Cha. Collins Fect. Janry 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 Red-legged Partridges from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Western Europe].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) Cha. Collins Fect. Janry 1742-3
Scientific name: Alectoris rufa
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Rufus
Tetrao, rostro pedibusque sanguineis
gula alba cincta fuscia nigra
albo punctata.
Habitat in Europa australiori
The Comon Redleg'd
Partridge
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Rufus
Tetrao, with a blood-red beak and feet,
a white throat encircled with a black band
spotted with white.
It lives in Southern Europe.
The Common Redleg[ge]d
Partridge