In Late and Middle English, the word “swallow” meant “gulf, abyss, hole in the earth or whirlpool,” and later “throat or gullet.” The Norse version of the word meant “devourer or swallower.” Today it means to put a drink or piece of food down the throat, accept a story without question, or the familiar small …
I earlier talked about Elizabeth Gould, bird artist of the 19th century who may not have been given enough credit for her works. There are others, too, in recent years who are outstanding bird artists but not well known. One is Lars Jonsson (1952-), ornithologist and artist, who started painting birds when he was young; …
I received another email yesterday about birds falling out of their nests. The emailer didn’t say where he lived but indicated that he was picking up several young birds that he assumed fell from their nests. Well, as I have said so many times in so many places, young birds rarely fall from their nests; …
Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird of the Himalayas and the Gouldian Finch of Australia were named after Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), bird artist of the early 19th century. Elizabeth Gould married John Gould, also a famous taxidermist and bird artist of that time. She designed, lithographed, and painted over 640 plates for birds of the Himalayas, Europe, Australia, …
