Life of Alfred Newton : professor of comparative anatomy, Cambridg university, 1866-1907 / by A.F.R. Wollaston, with a preface by Sir Archibald Geikie.
- Sandy Wollaston
- Date:
- 1921
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Life of Alfred Newton : professor of comparative anatomy, Cambridg university, 1866-1907 / by A.F.R. Wollaston, with a preface by Sir Archibald Geikie. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![The notebook still exists and the drawings that he made that day are remarkable for their accuracy and for the skill with which he emphasised the most characteristic features of the birds drawn. He was always very fond of drawing, and although he never possessed very great skill as an artist, his drawings, whether of birds, beasts or landscapes, were invariably accurate. Many of his letters are full of drawings and later, when he was abroad, he illustrated the incidents of his travels with very humorous sketches. The following letter was illustrated with an excellent drawing of a Brambling :— Stetchworth, Fridayf March 7, 1845. My dearest Tedge, I dare say you will like to hear how my Brambling is. He is perfectly well and is, (considering that he was only caught yesterday) very tame, much more so than Skelly [a Starling] is now. He goes on picking about while I am standing at the cage. I have given you a little sketch of Brammy’s head, but / can’t describe his markings they are so beautiful. There were 5 caught (in a clap net), 2 m. 3 f. ; the 3 unfortunate females were sent to Ditton with about 100 other birds for a shooting match and were shot. The other male bird fluttered itself to death in the store cage and was roasted and eat before I knew of it. They are called here north-cocks. The man who caught them is going out again to-morrow and so I trust I shall be able to get some more. He caught some redpolls and reed sparrows, etc., so I can probably get some. His prices are very reason¬ able, }d. or hd. for each bird. The reason I gave 6cZ. for mine is that the man’s little girl had picked it out of the others for its beauty and had taken a great fancy for it. I have not got a very secure cage for him, but I keep * Fringilla ‘iTnontifringilla—Beak yellow, tip black ; nape snow white, ear coverts black with green reflexions ; throat pale crimson-tawney, a round white spot in the middle of the neck ; the rest of the head mottled black and white.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29930698_0030.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
