Within the days when color printing was extraordinarily costly, the Avicultural Society had particular appeals for funds to help the looks in Avicultural Journal of the occasional color plate. A widely known chicken artist was then commissioned. Though the entire run of the Society’s magazines may be discovered on-line, the plates hardly ever see the sunshine of day. Due to this fact I made a decision to indicate one, once in a while, on this website. That is the twenty first within the sequence.
– – – – – – – – – –
The artist was John Cyril Harrison (1898-1985). For many of his life he lived in Norfolk. He educated on the Slade after the First World Battle and have become well-known for his wildlife work, particularly birds. He was a daily customer to Scotland, elements of Africa and Iceland. He was prolific and his work typically seems in auctions.
The article accompanying this plate was written by Philip Wayre (1921-2014) who in 1959 had based the Decorative Pheasant Belief. He additionally had a small zoo at Nice Witchingham, the Norfolk Wildlife Park.
Elliot’s pheasant (Syrmaticus ellioti) was lowering in numbers on the time Philip Wayre wrote his account. It’s now categorized as Close to Threatened by IUCN due to forest habitat loss throughout its vary in south-east China. It’s comparatively straightforward to breed in captivity.
Avicultural Journal 68, 1962