McGill Library
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Wren
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
Cha. Collins Fect. May 1743
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 Eurasian Wrens from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Europe, Central Asia, Northeast Asia, and North America].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) Cha. Collins Fect. May 1743
Scientific name: Troglodytes troglodytes
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Troglodytes
46 Mottacilla grisea, alis nigro
cineroq[ue] [cinereoque] undulatis. L.N.S. [sic] p. 188
Habitat in Europa
The
Wren. Will orn. 219
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Troglodytes
46 Mottacilla grisea [The grey…] with black and ash-coloured
wavy stripes on the wings. L.N.S. [sic] p. 188
It lives in Europe.
The
Wren. Will orn. 219