McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Striped Hyena [male]
Striped Hyena
Hyaena hyaena
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 Striped Hyena from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: Africa and Asia.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Striped Hyena [male] (Hyaena striata)
Manuscript note on back of drawing: No. 1 The Hyena Wolf from Switzerland the Male
Scientific name: Hyaena hyaena
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Mammalia Ferae Canis
Hyaena
Canis. cauda recta anulata,
pilis cervicis erectis, auriculis
nudis LSN p.40
Habitat in India
The Hyaena
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Mammalia Ferae Canis
Hyaena
Canis, with a straight, ringed tail,
erect hair on the nape,
and bare ears. LSN p.40
It lives in India.
The Hyaena