The Heath Hen, extinct since 1932, was the easternmost subspecies of the greater prairie chicken. Catesby described it as "a third part bigger than a common partridge. The bill was brown; the eyes black, with hazel-colored irises; the legs were covered with yellowish downy feathers to its toes; the tail was short ..."

Catesby was fascinated by the two small feathers on the side of its head and wrote: "These little wings (if so they may be called) were fixed to the neck in such a manner, that the Bird had the power of contracting and dilating them. When disturbed, it would spread these little wings horizontally ; at other times, it would let them fall on each side of the Neck. The Hen had not these neck-feathers ; except which, there appeared very little difference between this and the Cock. From the structure and resemblance of these neck-feathers to real wings, they may possibly assist the Bird in running or flying, or both, especially as the wings are short in proportion to its heavy body."

About Mark Catesby

When Mark Catesby published his landmark work, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1731 — 1743), it was the first comprehensive study and illustration of the flora and fauna of the English colonies in the New World.

The Royal Society and its President, Sir Isaac Newton, invited Catesby in 1720 "to Observe the Rarities of the Country for the uses and purposes of the Society". In 1722, Catesby set sail for Charleston, South Carolina and produced hundreds of drawings and watercolors before returning to London four years later.

To reduce the cost of publication, Catesby himself designed, engraved and colored the plates. Each Perfect Recreation™ is made from a pristine First Edition of The Natural History hand colored by Catesby and purchased in the original syndication by Charles Cavendish of the Royal Society and bequeathed to his more famous scientist son, Henry.

In addition to being the first documentation of the wildlife and vegetation of the Americas, The Natural History is the first work of natural history art to place animals in the context and setting of the plants of their natural habitats. This artistic breakthrough is believed to have influenced Audubon's great works a century later.

If you'd like to learn very much more about his landmark work, you might want to buy Empire's Nature: Mark Catesby's New World Vision at Amazon.com