SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE Aquila adalberti VU

Aquila adalberti C. L. Brehm, 1861

MZUT AV12533; mount; unsexed; Spain, no date; donated by H. M. Vittorio Emanuele III. MZUT AV12867; mount; adult male; Spain; purchased from Verreaux in 1872.

Remarks.—The Maison Verreaux, established in 1803 at the Place des Vosges in Paris, was the earliest company dealing in natural history objects (Daszkiewicz 1997). It played an important role during the golden age of natural history collecting, with a catalogue offering thousands of birds, eggs and nests, as well as mammals, shells, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. In addition to its commercial reputation, it was known for promoting and financing collecting expeditions.