Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) 2 A vintage medical model prepared

A vintage medical model prepared by the Auzoux company in Paris

Cowrie shells and chips of turquoise are also incorporated into the design

On the reverse you can see that it is stitched with plant fibres onto a rough hessian type backing

this one was found in the Sahara desert about 40 years ago

Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) 2 A vintage medical model preparedThis is a skull of the common guillemot, also known as the common murre Uria aalge. This species is a large member of the Auk family with circumpolar distribution of the sub species in the Northern waters. They breed in huge colonies with a density of up to 20 pairs on one square metre of rock. They are expert divers with diving depths of 180m being recorded in search of food. This specimen was from a dead bird washed up on the shore. It is a very