rare parrots

A rare pamphlet describing the parrot specimens at the Peabody Museum, originally published as an article in the Salem Evening News. WorldCat locates only seven institutional copies, primarily in the US, with one at the Australian Museum. No other volumes in the planned series seem to have been published.

The Yale Peabody Museum, now the Peabody-Essex, 'began in the 18th century as a miscellaneous assortment of "natural and artificial curiosities" typical of college collections of the time' and systematic collecting for educational purposes began in 1802 (museum website). As this pamphlet explains, in 1928 the museum received 'a large number of birds as a gift from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass. These represent several groups and many species new to its collections. As opportunity permits, certain groups will be rearranged, written-up and placed on exhibition... The first group to be so treated is the parrots'. The pamphlet includes a photographic illustration of thirteen of the birds, including the New Zealand kaka and kakapo ('owl parrot'), as well as the Banks cockatoo, red and green macaw, white cockatoo, and a number of parakeets, lorikeets, and lovebirds. The text discusses the family of parrots in general, followed by descriptions of some of the individual species. The kakapo, for instance, 'was once a very abundant New Zealand bird' that 'frequents open, mossy glades'. 'About sunset it becomes lively, animated and playful' and 'when eating grass it grazes rather than feeds, nibbling the the grass in the manner of a rabbit.'

First book edition; 8-page wire-stitched pamphlet, photographic frontispiece, a little light spotting at the edges of the contents; original tan wrappers printed in black, a little toning and short splits and creasing along the edges, very good condition.