Le Maire and Schouten’s descriptions of New Guinea and Pacific birds

Record summary

The voyage of Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten produced early European descriptions of New Guinea and nearby islands, including the trade in striking birds later associated with the bird-of-paradise tradition. Such material matters because bird-of-paradise skins were long represented in Europe as evidence of extraordinary aerial animals, partly because prepared specimens lacked feet. The reports therefore illuminate how real fauna, specimen preparation, indigenous trade, and European natural-history assumptions interacted. Exact passages and attributions should be checked in the Dutch publication, since later English accounts often blend several voyages.