Exposure to light can fade museum bird specimens badly. This happens
to birds on display. I have seen a vermilion-red pheasant (over a
century old) which had faded to a sad rusty colour. Some green birds
fade to blue.
For accurate colours you have to ask to see 'study skins' kept under
archival conditions. These are what illustrators refer to for field
guides. Obviously you would not have had time to do this in Hobart, but
if you ring the Museum in Victoria, (or any other State Museum) they can
arrange this. Always very interesting.
Purple Swamp-hen colours may require sunlightto bring up the purple,
or they may have faded
The Tas. Native Hen may have had other dark feathers brushed over
its white side-markings
New Holland HE is black round the eyes, with white iris, so the
taxidermist may have fitted dark ones by mistake (or lack of supplies).
I'm glad you saw the Yellow Wattle-bird.
Anthea Fleming
Peter Shute wrote:
I visited Hobart museum today and noticed some colour variations I didn't
expect on some specimens on display:
- Purple swamphen: not purple (black)
- Tasmanian native hen: no white patches on its side.
- New Holland honeyeater: black around the eyes.
In the last case I don't know if the white in live ones is around the eyes, or
the eyes themselves, in which case these glass eyes aren't right (or
juvenile?). But with the feathers, can they lose colour with time?
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