79 



Few indeed were the pictures which had birds for 

 their principal subject— few indeed contained birds 

 at all. Of those that did, domesticated birds had 

 generally been selected. 



Taking such pictures as contained birds in the 

 order in which they are ranged in the catalogue, the 

 first that occurs is in an equestrian subject, " Youth," 

 by the veteran Academician, Briton Riviere, This 

 represents a young man with a Falcon on his hand. 

 The bird looks as if it had been painted from life, 

 which cannot always be said of birds in Academy 

 pictures. The pose of the bird is just that which it 

 assumes before taking wing, and the grip of the feet has 

 a very realistic look, and much of the expression of 

 life in it. I rather regretted that more study had not 

 been spent on the wings, as they are a little out of 

 keeping with the rest of the picture. 



Peter Graham's picture, " And there is never 

 silence on that shore," (No. 56) is a characteristic 

 example of this artist's work. Of all the academicians, 

 he has painted more in the haunts of Seafowl than 

 any of them. The picture is that of a headland such 

 as might be found on the South-East coast of Scotland, 

 where Gulls and other sea birds congregate and breed. 

 The sea, and the ironbound coast, are rendered with 

 the hand of a master. I once heard a well-known 

 geologist, standing before a picture by Peter Graham, 

 praise the faithful portrayal of the rocks, the nature of 

 which he was able to identify from the picture. Of the 

 birds, I, as an ornithologist, could not speak in such 

 warm praise, since the drawing thereof leaves some- 

 thing to be desired, even though the colour and 

 painting are good. 



In Gallery No. II., No. 149 is a " Still Life" sub- 

 ject called " Birdekins from the Tropics." Aviarists 

 who admire the metallic coloured plumage of tropical 



