[unidentified] pteroglossus sp.?
Physical Description
Pencil
General
Drawing on tissue, with some marks of correction. Principal toucan circa 18" long (Gould's birds are "the size of life" unless stated otherwise) plus 2 others more distant. Long, strongly-hooked bill, somewhat like Pteroglossus viridis or Pteroglossus humboldtii. Not found in the published editions of the Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or family of toucans. What the purpose of these drawings may have been is unclear; perhaps Gould intended a further revision and extension of the work. Gould items 2036-2041 share a dynamic that suggests the hand of Hart; all 5 include a principal bird perching, or in the case of Gould items 2040 flying, in a downward diagonal.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository