FUERTES' MESOZOIC BIRDS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Dan Varner wrote...

>  About a year ago I mentioned Cornell University's website of Louis Agassiz 
> Fuertes' artwork. He was the premier bird painter in the U.S. in the 
> early part of this century. He was a contemporary and friend of 
> Chas.R.Knight. Anywho...(as Mickey would say), I was visiting the 
> site today, mainly enjoying Fuertes hawks and owls, when I decided 
> to check something out. Fuertes actually did several quick drawings 
> of Archaeopteryx. I think there's a very rough Hesperornis also. 
> Just plug archaeopteryx in the box marked "bird name or keyword" at 
> this url: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/Birds/query1.html 

Dan is right: the bird to the right of the _Archaeopteryx_ surely 
must be a hesperornithiform. There is an anhinga below it - a bird 
famous for stalking fishes underwater - and note that Fuerte's 
_Hesperornis_ is poised in a neck-coiled underwater hunting poise. 
Thanks for bringing it to our attention Dan, it's fantastic artwork.

I take it Fuerte's sketch of _Archaeopteryx_ was never published.

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
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Portsmouth UK                          tel: 01703 446718
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http://www.naish-zoology.com]