McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Wryneck
Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
Charles 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 pair of Eurasian Wrynecks from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Europe, Asia, and Africa].
Small stains along top.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) Charles Collins Fect 1738;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: Jynx Torquilla Linaei; The Wryneck Jynx size Torquilla W. 138
Scientific name: Jynx torquilla
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Torquilla sive Jynx.
Cuculus [Cucullus] subgriseus maculatus, rectricibus
nigris fasciis undulatis. L.S.N. p.112
The Wry Neck
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Torquilla [or] Jynx.
The hood is a mottled grey; with flight feathers on the tail that have wavy black and tawny stripes. L.S.N. p.112
The Wry Neck