New Caledonian Bird Head Club from George Cann Collection

A bird head shaped club, New Caledonia, of fine elongated beaked form, made from hardwood. Provenance: George Cann collection (1890s-1965); Cann was known as the snake man of La Perouse, entertaining crowds when he worked at La Perouse from 1920 until the 1960s. He was a legendary collector of snakes from areas around Australia and the Pacific Islands, in his yard, he created large pits that were used to house his snake collection. He was the curator of reptiles at the Taronga Park Zoo for 20 years, and died of a stroke in 1965. 77 x 46 cm