"Falco Peregrinus" (Peregrine Falcon), by John Gould

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Falco Peregrinus (Peregrine Falcon)

Artist: Edward Lear

Printed by: G. Hullmandel

1837

Source: Gould, plate 21

Work actually began on this title in 1832, with the young Lear, who had already shown his talents in this line, began travelling with the Goulds for fieldwork on this project. In the end, he produced 62 0f the 448 plates. This may not seem a great number, but the plates are outstanding, and he had a "substantial" impact on the whole set because of his influence on Elizabeth Gould (Tree 45). [Commentary continues below.]

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Indeed, according to Isabella Tree,

Lear's participation transformed the work of Mrs Gould ... into dynamic and expressive works of art.... he propelled her limited sense of perspective into the third dimension. He encouraged movement, vigour and a sense of character in her birds; he instilled an idea of composition in which the subject related to its background instead of perching in midair like a cardboard cutout. He introduced a sense of subtlety and freedom into her drawings where previously she had only mimicked the technique used on etching or engraving. [45]

That being said, it is still possible to spot which of the illustrations are by Lear himself, and not just because of the tiny attribution. He chose the most challenging subjects, and produced the most dramatic plates, while Elizabeth, for her part, was still apt to produce less lifelike and characterful studies. Tree goes so far as to say that Lear "was the first person to understand the art of lithography and to use it to its fullest potential," and that this "was a legacy that made the works of Gould into a success and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (45).

However, Gould does not appear to have been grateful for this. He did not always credit Lear's work properly. No wonder the collaboration did not last. The sensitive young artists criticised Gould later for being an egotist who was "unfeeling for those about him" (qtd. in Russell 22), an accusation that seems to have had at least a degree of truth in it. Note that G. T. Bettany, in the original entry for Gould in the Dictionary of National Biography, makes no reference to Lear at all. Although others assistants are mentioned, the general impression is that Gould himself was solely responsible for "forty-one folio volumes, illustrated by 2,999 plates, a wonderful achievement for one man."

Gould could certainly have been more generous in recognising his debt to others. In the extract about the Peregrine Falcon below, he seeks to establish himself as the pre-eminent authority on the bird, correcting earlier misconceptions and confusions, and claiming that "our Plates" help to set the matter straight.

Extract from Gould's commentary

In England this beautiful Falcon remains the whole year round: it appears to give preference to the bold rocky cliffs that border the sea, in the most inaccessible parts of which it builds its eyrie, generally laying four eggs, of a uniform dark red colour. The young, from the time of being fledged to their full maturity, which is not attained until four or five years have elapsed, undergo a series of changes, so remarkable as to have caused a list of numerous synonyms and no little degree of confusion: the persevering observations of modern naturalists have, however, cleared up the confusion, and rectified the mistaken views with which the works of the older writers abound; still one circumstance has attended this modern investigation, which shows how difficult it is to avoid error, even in the closest scrutiny; we allude to the fact of several writers having contended that the Lanner, a species perfectly distinct from the Peregrine, was in fact nothing but the young of the latter: this also is now found to be a mistake, and we trust that our Plates of the two species will still more clearly illustrate the subject. We need scarcely comment on the rapidity of flight in which this species so much excels, nor upon its destruction of various kinds of game, water fowl, particularly ducks, teal, &c.

The sexes differ considerably in size, the male being much the smallest, and In general more blue on the upper surface.

The adults have the bill lead colour, becoming black at the tip; cere, naked skin round the eyes, and the feet yellow; whole of the upper surface bluish lead colour, approaching to black on the head and cheeks, the feathers of the back and wings being barred with a deeper tint; quills brownish black, the inner webs barred with white; tail barred with bands of black and grey, the tips white; throat and breast yellowish white; under surface white with a tinge of rufous, and regularly barred with transverse lines of black.

The young of the year differ in having the whole of the upper surface brown, each feather being margined with a hghter colouring; the breast and under surface light fawn brown, with oblong longitudinal dashes of blackish brown; tail brown, with bands of a darker colour; cere and legs greenish yellow; irides the same as in the adult, deep hazel approaching to black.

The Plate represents an adult and a young bird, of the natural size.

Bibliography

Gould, John. The Birds of Europe. Vol. I, Raptores. London: Gould, 1837. Internet Archive. Contributed by Smithsonian Libraries. Web. 7 April 2019.

Russell, Roslyn. The Business of Nature: John Gould and Austrlia. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 2011.

Tree, Isabella. The Ruling Passion of John Gould. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991.

Created 7 April 2019; last modified 8 September 2023