In the spring,
George Edward, the father of British ornithology, Alexander Wilson, the father of American ornithology, and John Gould, the father of Australian ornithology
Bring us one
A feast of science, aesthetics, and philosophy.
A natural history without pictures is incomplete.
No knowledge of other creatures,
We will become primitive people of weak tribes.
We can't ignore our curiosity and creativity,
Because nature and art need them as well.
The Father of English Ornithology: George Edward (1694-1773)
Author: A Natural History of Uncommon Birds
My real idea is to let everyone know that the lack of a large number of illustrations in the works of predecessors, many species have no descriptions and illustrations except for dry names, thus causing a lot of confusion, confusion and controversy. Naturalists urgently need to use animal drawings to further observe and describe, to save the lack of information. Nothing should be omitted when describing nature, because all information helps to classify or establish the characteristics of a species.
--George W. Edward, A Natural History of Rare Birds
1. Chinese peacock pheasant (above)
This bird is larger than the common pheasant, and although it is called a pheasant, I don't think it belongs to the pheasant family, because its tail feathers are flat, not pointed, and not curved. Although the color is not bright, the peacock pheasant is still a beautiful bird in nature. The beak is dark, with a red upper beak from the nostrils to the ends; the eyes are yellow, and the yellow bare spots between the beak and the eyes have sparse black hairs. The cheeks and upper eyes are white; the crown feathers are dark brown with slightly forward erection; the neck is bright brown with dark markings; the upper back and wing feathers are dark brown, with purple dots at the ends of each feather, and the color can change to blue, green, and gold copper.
2. Chinese Pheasant (Red-bellied Pheasant, above)
This bird is much smaller than the British pheasant, with longer tail feathers and a middle tail feather that can reach up to 24 inches. Albin has already done this in his ornithology, which he named the pheasant. But given the variety of colors on its body, I think the pheasant is more suitable. In addition, the paintings in his works are out of shape, and I try to correct them in this picture. His drawings of the beak and head are too large, the wings are too long, the tail is too short, and many details are omitted, which I have added in this picture.
3. Long-tailed black-hat hummingbird (above) This bird has a long tail, loose and soft tail feathers in the middle, one on one side, and softer feathers up and down to support it. According to my observation, all birds have two longer tail feathers, either in the middle or on both sides, such as swallows and magpies. The base of the beak of the long-tailed black-hat hummingbird is thicker than other hummingbirds, long and pointed, curved downwards, very hard, yellow. The top of the head and the back of the neck are black with a blue luster; the throat, thorax, and abdomen have green feathers, which are blue, and the feathers are hard and scaly like fish; the back feathers are loose and yellow-green; the wings are purple-brown, with a blue-purple luster in the light; the wing ridges are white to the shoulders; the tail feathers are dark black, getting longer and longer from the middle to the outside; and the legs, feet, and claws are black.
4. White-tailed Sea Eagle (above)
This bird weighs a similar amount to that of a regular sea eagle and is about the size of a male turkey. In appearance, the white-tailed sea eagle has no crown, short neck, strong chest, thick legs, and long and broad wings. A cow character with a slightly blue beak. The upper beak is curved to cover the lower beak and is about 1 inch long. The lower beak is shorter than the upper beak and is kept inside. The junction of the head and beak is yellow, also known as wax membrane, and there are nostrils on it. The iris of the white-tailed sea eagle is pale brown and has black pupils, as are the case with other birds.
5. Colored Finches (Top: Rainbow Bunting; Bottom: Indigo Bunting)
The birds in the picture are all colored finches. They are dull in color when young, with dark brown upperparts and lighter lowerparts. The one above in the picture is very positive in color and fully developed. The beak is black , flesh-colored at the base of the lower beak ; the head and upper part of the neck are dark blue. The upper back is yellowish-green, and the lower and lower parts are red at the waist. Wing coverts are blue at the top and orange below, with green flight feathers; tail feathers are brown with green margins. From the beak to the subtail covert, the entire underbody is red; the legs, feet, and claws are brown and unchanged after development.
The one below in the picture is also a colored finch, but it is not yet fully developed. (Editor's note: sic, actually two species) Its beak and eyes are the same as the one above, but the eyelids are not red. This colorful finch is blue throughout, and from close up, the color of the head is more beautiful than the body, not so dark. The primary flight feathers and tail feathers are brown with blue edges.
Ii. The Father of American Ornithology: Alexander Wilson (1766-1813)
Author: American Ornithology
Wilson's love of the wilderness, his poet's vision and the inspiration of the writer, enabled him to capture the characteristics of the animals and plants in nature in time, and to form a precise prose style based on his own experience of careful observation in the wilderness, a literary form that integrated poetry into science, similar to but beyond Bartlam. In Wilson's pen, a general statement about a certain bird is like a picture.
——Professor Cheng Hong, an expert in natural literature, "Returning to the Wilderness"
1. The Golden-winged Woodpecker (Figure 1)
The bird's food changes with the seasons. When the berries of cherries, thick plums and multi-flowered purple trees are ripe, woodpeckers enjoy them, especially the berries. But the bird's primary food, or the most common thing in their stomachs, is the larvae of tide worms and ants. They love these foods so much that I often find that their bulging stomachs are stuffed with these things, and only these things make their stomachs swell like a lead hammer. In order for the woodpecker to obtain these insects, nature has cleverly designed them. The beak of a woodpecker is usually straight, with grooves that go straight into the mouth, resembling a wedge, with sharp ends that can easily peck through the hardest wood.
2. Yellow-billed American Cuckoo (Figure 1)
For foreigners who are new to the United States and want to observe their natural products, if they walk between the woods in May and June, through the low, quiet, tree-towering canyons, they are likely to hear an uncomfortable throat sound or note: "Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom," which starts slowly, but ends up quickly speeding up and becoming connected. The notes echo each other and are very noisy. Foreigners often hear these sounds, but they can't see where the birds or animals that make them are, because they are very shy, like to be alone, and always hide themselves among the thick foliage. This is the yellow-billed American cuckoo.
3. Black-billed American Cuckoo (Figure 2)
The birds are also common birds, but so far they have not attracted the attention of European naturalists. Or rather, because they are broadly similar to the yellow-billed American orca, they are conflated. However, they have distinctive and iconic features and life habits that fully demonstrate that they are independent species. The black-billed American Quail especially prefers to roam the creeks, feeding on small aquatic shellfish and snails. In their stomachs, I also found fragments of oyster shells.
4. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler (Figure 3)
Although I respect the authorities mentioned above (Linnaeus, Ketzby, Russem, and Batram), I believe that this bird is a species of warbler. Although their habits bear some of the characteristics of the genus Crested, the shape of their beaks is undoubtedly that of the genus Oriole. It's worth noting that they always like to patronize the tops of towering trees, where they hunt for flying insects and caterpillars that feed on leaves and flowers.
5. Yellow red-headed warbler (Fig. 4) This bird is relatively delicate. They came to Philadelphia in early April. At that time, the flowers of the maple tree were still in full bloom. At this time, they often appear between the branches and flowers, feeding on the stamens and small flying insects in the flowers. Their favorite habitat is the low, damp jungle.
The father of Australian ornithology: John Gould (1804-1881)
A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains
In Northern Europe, the jay, star crow,, goldfinch, grey finch, crow, cuckoo, woodpecker and sticker bird are not very different from the local birds in the United Kingdom in terms of body structure and feather color. Many of britain's wild ducks have also appeared in the mountains of Northern Europe. Other birds that swim and live in the water are not exactly the same in habits, but they are no different from their nordic counterparts in appearance.
—John Gould, Atlas of The Hundred Years of Birds of the Himalayas
1. Snake eagle Indian subspecies
Three species of snake eagle birds are currently known in the Himalayas, and their species are clear, similar in appearance, and have subtle and obvious differences in individual characteristics. Judging by physical strength, body shape, and beak length and ferocity, they are similar to those of the Falconidae. In addition, the back of the foot is wrinkled, hexagonal scales, and it is similar to the osprey of the osprey family.
Of the two specimens studied, one is from Mr. Gould's personal collection and the other is recently provided by Mr. Hodgson, a British citizen of Nepal. The two birds have similar characteristics and different sizes, and the latter is 1.25 times that of the former, for reasons that do not exclude the difference between male and female. The bird's back and wings are brown with a crown on the head, black and white; the tail feathers have a light red band pattern; the wing coverts are brown with small white spots; the flight feathers are dark brown with deepened edges; the inside is mixed with white markings; the eyes, beak, and legs are yellow; and the claw tips are black.
2. Red-billed Blue Magpie
Of all the magpie birds, the red-billed blue magpie has unparalleled plumage and graceful posture. However, in many ways, it is also the most atypical of the genus Magpie. The beak varies in strength and angle , with the tail feathers layered , with the middle two tail feathers twice as long as the rest. The red-billed blue magpie lives not only in the Himalayas, but also throughout China. It is a common motif in Chinese paintings exported to Europe, so we suspect that it resembles the English jay or magpie and can be domesticated. Presumably, the bird was brutal and ferocious, and Mr. Shore described in his notes that a red-billed blue magpie he caught could catch a live bird and devour it directly.
3. Grey-headed green woodpecker
Like all typical woodpeckers, grey-headed green woodpeckers like to find food in trees, but they also prey on ground ants and other insects like surface predators. The grey-headed green woodpecker takes its name from the distinctive black markings on the back of its head. They are mostly distributed in the mild areas of the mountains.
The male has a bright scarlet forehead, dark black on the top of the head, occipital and nape, and back of the neck, and gray on the sides and back of the cheeks, with a black beard. The upper body is green , gradually turning yellow to the waist , the wings are olive green , the coverts and tail feathers are brown , the coverts have white stripes on the edges , and the ends of the two feathers in the middle of the tail feathers are darkened. The thorax and underparts are greenish grey, and the beak and tarsals are black.
4. Brown-tailed rainbow pheasant
At the high altitude of the majestic Himalayas, it is covered in snow all year round. It's not unusual for surprisingly beautiful birds to live here. Among pheasants, the brown-tailed rainbow pheasant stands out with its brilliant feathers of metallic luster. The famous naturalist Mr. Weiye established the genus Pheasant, which has a very limited number of birds, and the brown-tailed rainbow pheasant is the only recognized typical pheasant bird to date.
5. Black-headed pheasant
In honor of the Marquis of Hastings' sponsorship and support of ornithology during his administration of India, the bird is also known as the Hastings horned pheasant. The male black-headed pheasant has an orange fleshy neck ; the thorax and lower body feathers are edged black , each with a white spot in the middle , and the belly feathers are brownish red.