First Fleet artwork collection

Bird in profile, facing to the left. It is depicted perching on a tree stump with pale green elliptic leaves and round, yellow acacia blossom. The stump is set on a base that is gradated from green to yellow, against a plain background. The bird occupies the top half of the sheet and is leaning forwards towards the blossoms, which are depicted as five round shapes painted pale yellow and overlaid with stronger yellow dots. The bird's head is dark brown heavily overlaid with black hatched lines, the breast is pale grey-white with black spots, and the back is orange. The wings and long tail feathers are pale yellow overlaid with brown. The drawing is framed by a pencil border and annotated in ink and pencil.

• Port Jackson Painter]
• The drawing is annotated in ink at lower left "Natural size, July".
• The drawing is unsigned and undated.
• The drawing is annotated in ink at top right with the number "187.". This refers to the catalogue list compiled by John Latham c. 1801 which was acquired with the drawings, and is filed with them at the end of the Watling Drawings series.
• The drawing is annotated in pencil at top "Orange rumped Flycatcher Sup ii. 225". This has been copied in ink at lower centre, "Orange rumped Flycatcher Latham Syn Supp. 2. p. 225.". The page reference is to Latham's Second Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds (1802).
• This bird has more recently been identified as the Red-backed Wren, Malurus melanocephalus (male) in Hindwood K. A. (1970).
• The drawing is annotated in pencil at top "Lambert Drawing III. 38.", and in ink at lower right "Vol 3-88 Latham". These notes refer to a related set of drawings from the collections of the 13th Earl of Derby, held in the Library at Knowsley Hall, Lancashire (the reference to "Latham" is in error for Lambert).
• A separate label is attached to the mount alongside the drawing at lower right. It is inscribed in pencil "Type".
• A second separate label is attached to the mount adjacent to the lower right annotation on the drawing. It is inscribed in pencil "refers to Lambert drawing" (see note above).
• The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning.
• By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London)
• Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library reference number 12264
• James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
• Data sheet available.
• Latham, John. Supplement II to the General Synopsis of Birds. London: Leigh, Sotheby, 1802.
• Hindwood K. A. 'The "Watling" drawings with incidental notes on the "Lambert" and the "Latham" drawings', Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for the years 1968-69 (1970).