Taxidermy Storm Petrels
By Bisshop of Oban
By Bisshop of Oban
Log #6110
Latin: Hydrobates pelagicus
Description: Rare Victorian Storm Petrels by Bisshop of Oban, intricately modelled against a naturalistic setting with painted backdrop. Case is four sided glass and slender for wall hanging but will stand aswell. Labelled verso.
Breton folklore holds that storm petrels are the spirits of sea-captains who mistreated their crew, doomed to spend eternity flying over the sea, and they are also held to be the souls of drowned sailors. A sailing superstition holds that the appearance of a storm petrel foretells bad weather. The motif of the stormy petrel has a long association with revolutionary anarchism. Various groups adopted the bird's name, either as a group identifier, as in the Spanish Civil War, or for their publications.