Collections

Print, Photographic

Other name(s): 
picture
Collection ID: 
2025.006
Collection: 
Fine art
Natural history

Print by artist Christine Fitzgerald of Arctic Skua birds eggs collected by Dr John Rae June 1854 at Naujuut (formerly known as Repulse Bay).  

"Parasitic gull eggs, 2023, pigmented gum impressions on palladium printed on archival rag [Natural History Museum Collection, Tring, England]. Specimen collected by Dr. John Rae on June, 1854 in Repulse Bay (Naujuut, Nunavut) while he searched for the missing John Franklin Expedition. It was later discovered that Franklin had died on June 11, 1847."

Douglas Russell, Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum in Tring, England said that there are more likely Long-tailed Jaeger eggs. He added: 

“The name ‘Lestris parasiticus’ is a known synonym for Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot, 1819 i.e. The Long-tailed Jaeger.  I have also compared the Rae eggs against the eggs of Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus ­and whilst the original label might be interpreted as indicating the eggs are from a  Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus – they are in fact consistent with and more likely to be Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus.”


Keywords
Dr John Rae
Eggs
Arctic Skua
Parasitic Gull

Physical attributes

Dimensions
Length350mm
Width350mm
Depth40mm