Accession Number

997.003

Description

A bird skin with feathers mounted in a glazed box to form a diorama of the bird standing amid grasses and rocks, the background painted to portray blue sky, the bird grey with a white neck-ring and underside, head and neck red, the glass-fronted box with a wooden back-board and sides covered in black heavy-grade paper.

Narrative

Dioramas of this type were popular items for some 19th Century home-owners possessing an interest in ornithology. The bird in this diorama is a Patagonian Red-Crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata). It is common to northern and eastern Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, west Paraguay, parts of Uruguay and northern Argentina, and south as far as Buenos Aires.

History of Use

This bird was brought alive from Patagonia, Argentina to England in 1890 by John Luckham Andrews. He had purchased the bird in Patagonia, and lacking a cage, he carried it on his person during the journey to England. The bird, named Moses by Mr. Andrews, was a cherished family pet that according to the family survived 16 years in England. That stated life-span is unlikely, since biologists today observe a normal lifespan of 3 to 6 years for these birds in the wild, and 13 years in human-care. Nonetheless, Moses was said to have a wonderful singing voice, and when he died, the Andrews family mounted him in this diorama. The granddaughter of Mr. Andrews was a volunteer at Craigdarroch Castle when she offered the diorama to The Castle Society in 1997, an offer that was accepted. She felt that Moses would have a good home at Craigdarroch. 

Date

circa 1888 – 1901

Dimensions

23.5 x 9.3 x 23.2 cm

Material

Feather; Wood; Paper; Glass; Grass

Technique

Handmade; Taxidermied