Object Status:
Extant
Accession Date:
By 1799
Primary Source Reference:
Charles Willson Peale, Lecture on Natural History 20. (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 20th Lecture (ca. 1799): "436. Broad shafted Humming bird. This is one of the largest of the strait billed Humming birds; it is about 4 Inches & ¾ long; the whole of the upper part of the body is light gilded green; the under part white; the tail is blue black & the outer feathers white; but what distinguishes this from any other of the species, is the breadth of 3 or 4 of the quills of each wing, the shafts of which are spread out much in breadth, and bend in the middle, so as to give the wing the appearance of a sabre. Trochilus campylopterus Linn. L'oiseau-mouche a larges tuyaux de Cayenne Buff. pl. enl. 672. f. 2. Broad shafted Humming-bird Latham No. 30. This came from Cayenne & is said to be a scarce species." (Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Archives, coll. 40)
Notes:
In 1793, Raphaelle Peale (1774-1825) travelled to Cayenne, French Guiana, to collect specimens for Peale's Museum. However, to the editor's (MRH) knowledge, there is no detailed inventory of the specimens he brought back, and there are many examples of specimens from northern South America that were donated by other people. For more discussion about Raphaelle's travels, see Lillian B. Miller, 1993, "Father and Son: The Relationship of Charles Willson Peale and Raphaelle Peale", The American Art Journal 25: 4-161. / https://doi.org/10.2307/1594599
Specimen Type:
Dead/preserved
Current Common Name:
Grey-breasted Sabrewing
Current Scientific Name
Trochilidae | Campylopterus largipennis
