Antique bird print titled 'Rissa Tridactyla'.
Old bird print depicting the Black-Legged Kittiwake. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von Wright.
The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Larus tridactylus. The English name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. The genus name Rissa is from the Icelandic name rita for this bird, and the specific tridactyla is from Ancient Greek tridaktulos, "three-toed", from tri-, "three-" and daktulos, "toe". In North America, this species is known as the black-legged kittiwake to differentiate it from the red-legged kittiwake, but in Europe, where it is the only member of the genus, it is often known just as kittiwake.
Artists and Engravers: Printed in Stockholm. Magnus von Wright (1805 - 68) was the first taxidermist working with the vertebrate collections of Helsinki University. Starting out as a taxidermist in the 1820's, he stuffed birds for Societas pro Flora et Fauna Fennica, the oldest scientific society in Finland, and in 1845, became taxidermist at the university's zoological museum. Von Wright made several study journeys to Stockholm and St. Petersburg, and even wrote a short manual on how mount birds. Though a skilful taxidermist, his reputation, like that of his two brothers, Wilhelm and Ferdinand, rests on his skill as a zoological illustrator. In 1859 he published the first handbook on Finnish birds.
Condition: Good, general age-related toning. Blank verso, please study image carefully.
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