McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Reed Bunting
Reed Bunting, male and female
Emberiza schoeniclus
Chars Collins Fect 1736;
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 Reed Buntings from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Northeast Asia].
Smudged stains in top left corner.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Reed Bunting (Emberiza schaeniclus) Chars Collins Fect 1736;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: The Reed Sparrow, passer torquatus in arundinetis nidificans. Perchance the passer arundinaceus of Turner. W. p. 269 the Reed Sparrow
Scientific name: Emberiza schoeniclus
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Aves Passeres Emberiza
Schaeniclus.
Fringula; rectricibus fuscis,
extimis duabus macula alba
cuneiformi, corpore griseo nigro
que, capite nigro. L.S.N. p. 182
Passer torquatus in Arudinetis [Harundinetis]
nidificans. Will. p. 269
The Reed Sparrow
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Aves Passeres Emberiza
Schaeniclus.
Fringula; with tawny flight feathers on the tail,
with the two outermost feathers spotted with white
and wedge-shaped, a grey and black body,
and a black head. L.S.N. p. 182
Passer torquatus that builds its nest in
thickets. Will. p. 269
The Reed Sparrow