McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Three-toed Woodpeckers [male]
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides tridactylus
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 pair of Eurasian Three-Toed Woodpeckers from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Scandinavia, the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains, the Mountains of Russia, the Mountains of Central China, the Altai Mountains, and Mongolia.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Three-toed Woodpeckers [male] (Picoides Americanus)
Manuscript note on back of drawing: the Woodpecker had but three toes and comes from Americk Picus tridactyles Linaei 13; Linnaeus says the head in Europe is yellow but red in America. I guess thy differ in Sex.
Scientific name: Picoides tridactylus
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Tridactylus
P. albo nigroque varius, pedibus
tridactylis. L.S.N. p.114
Habitat in Suecia
The Three Toed Woodpecker.
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Tridactylus
P. albo nigroque varius [The white and black spotted woodpecker], with three-toed feet. L.S.N. p.114
It lives in Sweden
The Three Toed Woodpecker.