How did this rare White's thrush come to be in the saleroom of an auction house in Yorkshire?

 

White's thrush - how did this bird come by its plight? 

A WHITE'S thrush has been showing  well this week at a site in North Yorkshire.

Trouble is that it's a stuffed and mounted bird, currently within the premises of leading auction company Tennants of Leyburn.

A note in the catalogue describes the bird  as "a full mount adult with head turning very slightly to the right, stood upon a painted simulated rock, above grit covered groundwork, overall height 22cm, mounted upon an ebonised base".

It is not clear how the bird, a rarity in Britain, has come to be at its present location, but it is believed to be of relatively contemporary origin - that is to say, not of Victorian era vintage. 

The pre-sale guide price seems modest - £70-£90.

Also in the Natural History and Taxidermy  sale, to be held on Friday December 15,  are other taxidermy exhibits including a hawfinch, described as "circa late 20th Century", a wall-cased trio of waxwings, dated 2019, and a cased pair of snow buntings thought to date from the early 20th Century.

                                             

Hawfinch - pre sale guide price: £150-£200

                                             

Waxwings - pre-sale guide price: £350-£400

                                                    

Snow buntings - pre-sale guide price:  £150-£200

The Wryneck says: However expertly they are prepared, mounted and displayed, there is always a certain sadness about stuffed birds. And there are sometimes lingering questions, especially about more recent specimens. How did the lifeless birds come by their fate? By what means were they acquired by the taxidermist? It would be interesting to know the answers to these questions. Perhaps some clarification might be helpful.