Object Status:
Extant
Accession Date:
30 August 1802
Primary Source Reference:
Charles Willson Peale, letter to Rubens Peale (1784-1865) dated 30 August 1802; Selected Papers, 2, part 1: 451.
Additional Source Text:
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) wrote to his son Rubens Peale (1784-1865) on 30 August 1802: "The female Cross beak I have received from France and I have written for the Male—and for a [pair] of the Jaseur de Bohême Buff. [i.e., Bohemian Waxwings] these I expect they will send me" (Miller 1988: 451, Selected Papers, Vol. 2, part 1, Yale University Press).
Although he did not distinguish them in his 32nd Lecture (ca. 1799), by the time Peale wrote "A Walk Through the Philad[elphi]a Museum" (1805–1806), he had learned that the Cedar Waxwing and Bohemian Waxwing were distinct: "No. [blank] Waxen Chatterer (Ampelis Garrulis) inhabits Europe & Assia. It is a very distinct species from the American Chatter." (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, coll. 0481)
Alexander Wilson (1766-1813) wrote in American Ornithology vol. 1, p. 112 (1808): "Those of our fellow-citizens who have still any doubts, and wish to examine for themselves, may see beautiful specimens of both birds [B. cedrorum and B. garrulus] in the superb collection of Mr. Charles W. Peale of this city, whose magnificent museum is indeed a national blessing, and will be a lasting honor to his memory." / https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/175530#page/138/mode/1up
Notes:
Palisot de Beauvois (1752-1820), the French naturalist, approached Peale about a specimen exchange in October 1794, to which Peale replied: “You desire to know if I would be willing to exchange Birds and other subjects of natural history to supply the public museum at Paris [i.e., Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, known to Peale as the "Paris Museum"]—My first Object is to furnish my [own] Museum with all the Various Animals in the several classes and other objects of Natural History belonging to America, and secondly, while I am engaged in this labour, to prepare duplicates with the view of exchanging them for the subjects of the other quarters of the Globe—by which means I hope to inrich my Museum in a mode which I conceive will be most agreable to the Amateurs of this delightful Science on the other side of the Water, who may be desirous of possessing those of America—I mean by a reciprocal exchange of Subject for subject.” (Miller 1988, Selected Papers, Vol. 2, part 1, Yale University Press) / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Natural_History,_France
For more discussion about Beauvois’s time in Philadelphia, and how he helped Peale catalogue the taxidermy collection, see Matthew R. Halley, 2022, “Rediscovery of the holotype of the American Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis atricapillus (Wilson, 1812), and a commentary about Alexander Wilson’s contributions to the Peale Museum. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 167: 233–240. / https://doi.org/10.1635/053.167.0114
The specimen exchange with the Paris Museum eventually came to pass in the late 1790s, as Peale corresponded with Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844). On April 30, 1797, in a letter accompanying two cases of specimens, Peale wrote: “I have many Birds which is not described in Catesby, and several, which are not to be found in any of the authors on Natural History duplicates of which I will send you, with all such articles as you may want, and in my power to procure ... I have imbraced [sic] the first coming of the birds this season, and daily with one of my Sons hunt & preserve all we can. We have already mounted a tolerable number of the small birds in a handsome condition—and by constantly shooting ourselves, we are able to gain a knowledge of their manners.” (Miller 1988: 198–199)
Peale wrote to Pierre-Auguste Adet (1763-1834) on 31 May 1798: “with my Son Titian I continue my hunting excursions to collect & preserve Subjects with equal diligence … this year add so many new subjects yet we have got some that are nondescripts—and that while I am increasing my store we find by practice proved—I am anxious to hear from Mr. Geoffroy whether he wishes Birds mounted in the manner of those I have sent or whether he would prefer them without being fixed with wires and mounted on Sticks.” (Miller 1988: 215).
Peale wrote to Geoffrey on 13 July 1802: “Sir, Your favor of the 26 Feby and the Package of Birds I have received—they were in very good condition one or two only excepted.” (Miller 1988: 440)
Specimen Type:
Dead/preserved
Current Common Name:
Bohemian Waxwing
Current Scientific Name
Bombycillidae | Bombycilla garrulus
