McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Southern Flicker
Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Chas. Collins Fect 1738
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 Yellow shafted Northern Flicker from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: the Eastern United States (East of the Rockies)].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Southern Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus) Chas. Collins Fect 1738;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: Cuculus Auratus Linei. Picus major, alis aureus Catesby. A Woodpecker of Carolina described by Catesby
Scientific name: Colaptes auratus
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Auratus.
C. cauda subforcipata, gula pectoreque
nigris, nuncha [nucha] rubra. racis remigum
primorum aurea. L.S.N. p.112
Habitat in Carolina
The Golden Woodpecker
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Auratus
C. with a scissor-like tail, black throat and breast,
and a red nape. The shaft of the primary
wing feathers is gold. L.S.N. p.112
It lives in Carolina
The Golden Woodpecker