Taxidermy display
Category
Natural History / Taxidermy
Date
Unknown
Materials
Display case with taxidermy huias, kakapo parrot, kea, kiwi and a lamb
Measurements
54 in (H); 550 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1441231
Caption
This decorative case features very special birds from New Zealand, where Lord Onslow (Clandon’s former owner) had been Governor General. The birds include a kakapo, the world’s largest parrot (now extremely rare), flightless kiwi and its massive egg, an (allegedly) carnivorous kea and a pair of huias. The latter are now extinct and also unique in having a different type of beak in male and female. They fed co-operatively and were regarded as sacred symbols of marital fidelity by the Maoris. They were sought after by museums and collectors, but also suffered from massive loss of their forest habitat. This pair represent two thirds of all the extinct birds owned by the National Trust.
Summary
[Destroyed in the fire of 2015] A display case of stuffed New Zealand birds including a kiwi with it's egg, a kakapo parrot (the world's rarest parrot) and a pair of huias which are now extinct, a kea, and a lamb; the case shaped to accomodate a sloping ceiling. (five birds+ one animal)
Provenance
Marked in Lady Iveagh’s 1966 Inventory, p38 Purchased in 1986 with the aid of a grant from the V&A Museum Purchase Grant Fund and the Monument Trust