Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
May 26, 1791
Primary Source Reference:
Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 26 May 1791
Additional Source Text:
"This beautiful bird, Edwards makes the third in the class of Parrots; he places the large red Macaw first; the blue and orange coloured Macaw the Second, and then the Cockatoo; but some authors place it at the head of that order, on account of its beautiful high crest and docile manners. It seems highly to enjoy carresses."
Also listed in the General Advertiser (Philadelphia), 26 May 1791; Independent Gazetteer (Philadelphia), 28 May 1791; Osborne's New-Hampshire Spy, 8 Jun 1791; and Maryland Gazette (Annapolis), 9 June 1791
Notes:
A cockatoo is any of the twenty-one parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuida; the one illustrated by George Edwards is the yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea).
After receiving this donation from Sarah Chew Elliott O'Donell (Mrs. John) (1766-1857), which her husband had brought back from the Far East, Peale offered to paint a portrait of their daughter Mary. (P&M, pp. 152-153)
Specimen Type:
Live (presumably eventually taxidermied/preserved)
Peale's Common Name:
Cockatoo
Current Common Name:
Yellow-crested cockatoo
Current Scientific Name
Cacatua sulphurea
