Object Status:
Extant
Accession Date:
By 1799
Primary Source Reference:
Charles Willson Peale, Lecture on Natural History 15. (ca. 1799). Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Archives, coll. 40. / https://ansp.org/research/library/archives/0000-0099/coll0040/
Additional Source Text:
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) wrote, in his 15th Lecture (ca. 1799): "No. 100. Red-backed Shrike. Top of the head, back of the neck & the lower part of the back ashen colour; a band of black crosses the eyes; above the wings russet; throat white; breast and underparts of the body lightly tinged with red. Tail and pinions quils dark brown; with some white on each side of the tail." (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Archives, coll. 40)
Peale continued: "101. Female. plumage varied with ferruginous […] with grey colour; breast and underparts of the body dirty white crossed with semicircular dusky lines; tail brown; the outer feather white only on the outer web; rather larger than the male. Lanius collurio Linn. Ecorcheur Buff. coloured pl. 31. f. 2. These birds seen apart, their plumage differ so much that no person would suppose them to be the same species. They feed on small birds as well as Insects. I received this [pair] of Birds from England where I expect they are natives – the nests & eggs came with them. The eggs are white spotted with reddish & ash colour." (ANSP Archives, coll. 40)
On 30 August 1802, Peale wrote "Lanius Cellurio Linn. Escorcheur Buff pl. enl. n. 31. f. 2.—The female is still good" to his son Rubens (via Eleanor Peale), in reference to specimens at the Philadelphia Museum that were "totally destroyed by dermest[id] beetles" or in otherwise poor condition and in need of replacement (Miller 1988: 451, Selected Papers, Vol. 2, part 1, Yale University Press). However, the identity of these specimens is unclear because Peale confused this species with the Bull-headed Shrike (Lanius bucephalus), which he called the "Wood Chat Shrike".
Five mounted specimens of "Lanius collurio (Butcher Bird / Woodchat)" were listed in "A Catalogue of Duplicate Specimens...", May 1822. [unpublished] American Philosophical Society Library (Mss.B.P31). These too cannot be identified.
Specimen Type:
Dead/preserved
Current Common Name:
Red-backed Shrike
Current Scientific Name
Laniidae | Lanius collurio
