Name/Title
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)Entry/Object ID
2017.05.12Description
Drawing
This image is a study of a male Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). The bird is striking in appearance; both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower. Like other Mergansers, it is an aquatic diving predator and with its narrow serrate bill, specializes in eating fish. Hooded Mergansers are the second smallest species of Merganser, and it also is the only Merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
William Glen Smith (1923-1993)Role
ArtistDate made
1980Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Baldur, Manitoba, William Glenn Smith was a Canadian wildlife biologist and accomplished bird artist. He played an important role in shaping the early foundation on which wildlife and non-game management and protection developed in B.C. He served in the Canadian Army in World War II. After his BA degree, he completed two years work on a Master’s degree before accepting a job with the B.C. Game Commission as a regional game biologist for the Kootenay-Boundary District of southeastern B.C. He later took a promotion first as Assistant Chief of Wildlife Management with the provincial Fish and Wildlife Branch in Victoria and later as Chief.
Smith started painting at an early age, probably influenced by his father and later his brother who both painted. Smith painted in watercolour and acrylic as well as hard pencil pastel. He had great photographic recall, and having seen a bird in the field he could later paint it in detail, although he did at times use museum specimens and published illustrations. He retired from government to go into wildlife consulting and to devote more time to his painting.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, DateLocation
Titled, signed and dated centre left: Hooded Merganser GS/80Dimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
22.9 cmWidth
17.8 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
PurchaseDate
Nov 23, 2017Notes
Purchased Kilshaws Lot #55 $160.00 for 2017.05.01 and 2017.05.12, 2@$80.00.Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
By William Glen Smith:
2017.05.01 Barn Owl (Tyto Alba)
2017.05.12 Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
2018.09.02a Hawk I
2018.09.02b Hawk II