The birds of Mark Catesby's The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands

2006·1.6 MB·

by  Michael Walters

Michael Walters 167 Bull. B.O.C. 2006126(3)
The birds ofMark Catesby The natural history
's
of Carolina^ Florida and the Bahama Islands
by MichaelWalters
Received4November2004;finalrevision received3July 2006
The plates ofMark Catesby's The naturalHistory ofCarolina contain many of
. . .
the firstsatisfactorydescriptions ofNorthAmericanbirds. Indeed, manyformedthe
basis forbinomials inLinnaeus'SystemaNaturae(1758), andtodaythesebirdsbear
Linnaeus'names based on Catesby's engravings and descriptions. Less well known
is that the original watercolours on which the engravings in the book were based
were purchasedby King George III in 1768 and are housed in the Royal Library in
Windsor Castle. They were discussed by McBumey (1997). In several cases the
originals differ considerably from the final plate and in a few depict birds omitted
from the published version. Despite the scrutiny to which the book has been
subjected, a few of the birds Catesby depicted have never been satisfactorily
identified. Catesby's birds have previouslybeen discussed, notably byAllen (1951)
and Feduccia (1985); the principal purpose here is to comment on the unidentified
and doubtfully identified species. Are they, for instance, errors on the part of
Catesby, or do they represent species that once occurred in south-eastern North
America?
In the course ofconserving the Windsor watercolours during the 1990s, these
were removed from the volumes in which they had been bound (McBumey 1997)
and in a few cases preparatory pencil or ink sketches were found on the reverse.
These werepartly discussedby McBumey (1997) and are furtherdiscussedhere. In
the following account, the firstnumber indicates Catesby's publishedplate number.
Aprefix 'A' indicates thatthe plate occurs in theAppendix ofCatesby's book. This
numberis followedbyCatesby'soriginalEnglishnameand(inthecaseofidentified
species) by the current vemacularname andby the current scientific name.
8. Whip-poor Will = Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor. Feduccia (1985) identified this as a
composite oftwo birds, Chuck-will's-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis and Common Nighthawk
Chordeilesminor TheoriginalwatercolourisclearlyofC. minor
10. The Parrot of Paradise = Unidentified 'Psittacus paradisi' Linnaeus. This is probably the most
controversial ofCatesby'sunidentifiedbirds. Itwas identified(Salvadori 1891: 316) as aleucistic
White-headed[Cuban]KmdiZonAmazonaleucocephala. Whilstthetotalabsenceofbluepigmentin
aspecimenofthelatterwouldproduceabirdnotunlikeCatesby's,theabsenceofawhiteforehead
wouldseemtoruleoutthisidentification. Catesby'saccountimpliesthathesawthebirdaliveand,
as he was amost careful observer, there can be little doubt ofthe accuracy ofhis description: 'Is
somewhatlessthanthe commonAfricangreyparrot; thebillwhite, theeyes red; theupperpartof
thehead,neck,backandwings, ofabrightyellow, exceptthequill feathersofthewing,whichare
white:theneckandbreastscarlet,belowwhichisawidespaceofyellow;theremainderoftheunder
partofthebodyscarlet;halfwayoftheunderpartofthetail,nexttherump,red,therestyellow.All
theyellow[plumes*],particularlythebackandrump,havetheendsofthefeatherstingedwithred;
the feetandclaws white ... Itwas shotby an Indian onthe IslandCuba; andbeingthus disabled
.
Michael Walters 168 Bull. B.O.C. 2006126(3)
from flying, he carried it to the Governor ofthe Havana, who presented it to a Gentlewoman of
Carolina,withwhomitlivedsomeyears,muchadmiredforitsuncommonnessandbeauty.'
* 'Touteslesplumesjaunes'isgivenintheFrenchtext,wordomittedintheaccompanyingEnglish
text.
19. Hairy Woodpecker = Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus. The verso shows a very faint pencil
outlinesketchofabird,aprobablyunidentifiablepasserine.
23. PigeonofPassage=PassengerPigeonEctopistesmigratorius. Theverso is inscribedinbrownink
(notinCatesby'shand,fideMcBumey 1997),andreads'AVirginiaWoodPidgeoncomesin/Winter
season [sic].''
31 LittleThrush= Unidentified'Turdusminimus'Catesby.Thoughtperhapstobeapoorillustrationof
aHermitThrushCatharusguttatus(Allen 1951).
32. Lark=HomedLarkEremophilaalpestris.The'TitLark,'anotherbirdappearingonthiswatercolour
butomittedfromthepublishedplate, appearstobeunidentifiable.Theversoappearstobeapencil
sketchoftheupperfigure(i.e. theHomedLark).
34. Cow-pen bird = female CowbirdMolothrus sp. Feduccia (1985) identified this as Brown-headed
CowbirdMolothrusater
35. Little Sparrow= Unidentified. The 'YellowTit,'omittedfromthepublishedplatebutappearingon
thewatercolour,appearstobeunidentifiable.
36. Snow-bird=Dark-eyedJunco(lowerfigure)Juncohyemails. Theoriginalwatercolourshowsboth
the 'Snow-bird' (Dark-eyed Junco) and the 'Purple Finch' which appear on PI. 36 and 41
respectively.
44. PaintedFinch =PaintedBuntingPasserina ciris. The originalwatercolourdepictstwobirds, both
referredtoas'PaintedFinch.'Onlytheupperfigureappearsinthepublishedplate.Thelowerfigure
isnotthePaintedBuntingandappearstobe the same asthe 'BlueLinnet'i.e. the IndigoBunting,
which appears on PI. 45. The verso is a preliminary sketch for Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides
forficatus, verysimilartoanoutlineofRL24817.
46. Chatterer=CedarWaxwingBombycillacedrorum. Theversoseemstobeasketchofseedpods.
50. Yellow Breasted Chat = Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens. The verso is another sketch ofthe
Swallow-tailedKite, less completethanthatonRL25875; partofthebodyhasbeengone overin
penandink,butthefeetremaininpencilonly.Thereisaninscriptionwhichreads 'Houkhooisthe
bird.'
54. Little Brown Flycatcher= Unidentified? 'Muscicapa fusca' Catesby. Thoughtperhaps to represent
the Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus (Allen 1951). Feduccia (1985) identified it as Eastem
WoodPewee Contopusvirens.
58. Yellow-mmp= Unidentified'Pamsuropygioluteo'Catesby.ProbablytheYellow-mmpedorMyrtle
WarblerDendroicacoronata(Allen 1951,Feduccia 1985),butisunconfirmed.
60. HoodedTitmouse=HoodedWarbler Wilsonia citrina. TheversoofRL25896 (Purple-berriedBay
Tree)showstheheadandneckofanunidentifiableheron,paintedingreywatercolourwithayellow
bill andyellowskinaroundtheeye.Theneckisverylongandsnake-like.Theeyeisblack.
61. Pine Creeper= Unidentified. This hasbeenthoughttorepresentthe PineWarblerDendroicapinus
(Allen 1951) but to me it does not appear identifiable. The watercolour depicts two birds, the
unidentifiable lowerofwhichwaspublishedonPI. 61, andtheupper(theYellow-throatedWarbler
Dendroicadominica)onPI. 62.
64. Finch-Creeper = Pamla Warbler Parula americana? Allen (1951) stated that this plate only
'probably' represented the Pamla Warbler; nevertheless Linnaeus' name (the one current for the
species) is based solely on Catesby's plate and description. Though the plate contains some
inaccuracies, Catesby'sdescription isreasonablyaccurate and 1 am satisfiedthatthis isthe species
hewasattemptingtodepict.
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Michael Walters 169 Bull. B.O.C. 2006126(3)
11. Little White Heron = Unidentified 'Ardea alba.' The original Windsor watercolour appears to be
missing, but apencil sketch ofthe bird appears on the verso ofno. 76 (reproducedby McBumey
1997: 62). The Little White Heron has usually been tentatively identified as a young Little Blue
Heron,butthedescriptiondoesnotentirelyagree.Thoughdepictedwithayellowbill,Catesbystates
quiteclearlythatthebillisred,iridesyellowandlegsandfeetgreen,whichdoesnotagreewithany
heronknown fromthearea. Hecontinued: "Ibelievetheybreed inCarolina,butIhaveneverseen
anyoftheminthewinter.
78. BrownBittern= Unidentified'Ardeastellaris.'ThisbirdwassaidbyCatesbytobesmallerthanthe
English Bittern. 'These birds frequent fresh Rivers and Ponds in the upper parts ofthe Country,
remote from the Sea.' Feduccia (1985) tentatively identified it as Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Nyctanassaviolacea.
81. WoodPelican=WoodIbis (Wood Stork)Myctehaamehcana. Apencil sketchoftheheadappears
besidethedrawing.
84. RedCurlew=ScarletIbisEudocimusruber.ThisistheonlyidentifiablespeciesdepictedbyCatesby
that does not normally occur in the area. Catesby may have encountered a vagrant. On the other
hand, Feduccia (1985) suggestedthatthebirdmay formerlyhave hadabroaderrange than it does
now.
87. Booby=BrownBoobySula leucogaster Apencil sketchoftheheadwithopenbillappearsbeside
thedrawing.
The verso of26031 (Mastic Tree) has a pencil sketch ofLaughing Gull Larus atricilla (RL
25924). The sketch is inexactlythe same attitude asthe finisheddrawing. Theverso ofRL26032
(GroundSquirrel)showspartoftheoutlineoftheTyrant(RL25890)butonlythefootofthebirdis
visible(McBumey 1997: 116).
A2. Razor-billedBlackbird=Ani Crotophaga sp. This isawatercolourbyGeorgeEdwards fromalive
specimen (possibly then in the Sloane Collection) seen in 1743. Feduccia (1985) identified it as
Crotophagaani. Theversoshowsquitedetailedpreliminarysketchesforthisdrawing,withseveral
handwrittennotesbyEdwardsofdifferingdates.Theversowasreproduced,andthetextofthenotes
transcribed,byMcBumey(1997: 68).
A3. Yellow&BlackPie=Unidentified.ThisisevidentlyanorioleofthegenusIcterus,butdoesnotseem
to agreewithanyextant species. Itis closesttotheTroupialIcterus icterus, butlacks anywhite in
thewings.
A5. Head of'the largeste crested heron'= Unidentified. This is one ofthe most interesting cases. The
birdisknownonlyfromCatesby'sdescription.Latham(1785,3:85; 1824,9: 80)andPennant(1785,
2:443)gaveabridgeddescriptionsbasedonthatofCatesby.BothLathamandGmelin(1788, 1:630)
treateditasasynonymoftheGreatBlueHeronA. herodias. 'AsIdidnotmeasurethelengthofthis
bird, 1 canonlyguess ittobenotlessthanfourfeetandahalfhigh,whenerect. Thebillmeasured
almosteightinchesfromtheangleofthemouthtotheendofit;andwasofayellowishbrowncolour
behindtheeyes; andunderthethroatofalightbrownishyellow.Thecrestonitsheadwasmadeup
oflongnarrowbrownfeathers; the longestbeing five inches inlength,whichitcoulderectandlet
fallatpleasure.Theneckandbreastbrown,butpaler,andspottedontheunderpart.Therestofthe
bodyandlegsbrown,exceptthequillfeathers;whichareblack.Theyfeednotonlyonfishandfrogs,
butonlizards,efts,etc.TheyarenativesofVirginia.'(Catesby).TheplateaccompanyingCatesby's
descriptiondepictsonlytheheadandneckofthebird.Thisshowsalargebrownheronwiththecrest
setvery farbackonthehead. No onehas evertakenthis description seriously, despitethe general
excellence of Catesby's work. Ridgway (1878) remarked scathingly: 'This is either an entirely
mythical species, orelsethe figure anddescriptionaredrawnfromrecollection. The figurequoted
above is absolutely unlike any knownAmerican bird, Heron or Crane, while the description . . .
cannotbemadetoapplytoArdeaherodias.AlthoughLinnaeusquotesCatesbyamonghiscitations
under^. herodias, hisdescription,whichisbasedonEdwards'sArdeafuscacanadensis, isperfectly
applicable to the adult of^. herodias.'Yet there is aperfectlyplausible explanation for Catesby's
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Michael Walters 170 Bull. B.O.C. 2006126(3)
heron,i.e.thatthebirdwasaspeciesofextremelylimiteddistribution,whichhassubsequentlydied
out.
A7. Golden-crownedKingletRegulussp.Feduccia(1985)identifieditasRegulussatrapa.
A8. StormPetrel=anunidentifiableHydrobatidae. Feduccia(1985)tentativelyidentifieditasWilson's
Petrel Oceanitesoceanicus.
A9. Whip-poor-Will = Unidentified. Allen (1951) stated: 'This is one of Catesby's poorest plates
showing a long-tailed large-footed bird ofyellowish brown colour with peculiar hair-like bristles
aroundthebill.Thebird,probablydead,wassenttohimbyaMr.ClaytonofVirginia,andthismay
account forthepoor likeness.' Feduccia (1985) identified it as a composite oftheWhip-poor-will
CaprimulgusvociferusandCommonNighthawkChordeilesminor.
Acknowledgements
IthankHenriettaMcBumey, RobertPrys-Jones andMarkAdamsfortheirhelpandadviceinpreparing
thisnote.
References:
Allen, E. G. 1951. The history ofAmerican ornithologybeforeAudubon. Trans. Amer Phil. Soc, New
Ser 41:387-591.
Catesby,M. 1731-43. ThenaturalhistoryofCarolina,FloridaandtheBahamaIslands. 2vols.London.
Feduccia,A.(ed.) 1985. Catesby'sbirdsofcolonialAmerica. Univ.ofNorthCarolinaPress,ChapelHill
&London.
Gmelin,J.F. 1788.SystemaNaturae. Thirteenthedn. Lipsiae.
Latham,J. 1781-55.Ageneralsynopsisofbirds. 3 vols. London.
Latham,J. 1821-24.Ageneralhistoryofbirds. 10vols.Winchester.
Linnaeus,C. 1758.SystemaNaturae. Tenthedn.Lipsiae.
McBumey,H. 1997.MarkCatesby'snaturalhistoryofAmerica. MuseumofFineArts,Houston.
Pennant,T. 1785.Arcticzoology. 2vols. London.
Ridgway,R. 1878. [Footnote.]Bull. USGeol. & Geogr Survey4: 239.
Salvadori, T. 1891. Catalogue ofthe birds in theBritish Museum, vol. 20: Trustees ofthe Brit Mus.,
London.
Address: Osprey's Nest, 62 Mark Street, Portrush, Co. Antrim BT56 8BU, Northern Ireland, e-mail:
[email protected].
Acomplete listofthebirds illustrated in Catesby'swork ThenaturalhistoryofCarolina, Floridaand
the Bahama Islands and a longer version ofthe present manuscript is available on request from the
author. TheEditor
©BritishOrnithologists'Club2006