Hen; Cock; Hawke; Jay; Muscovia Duck; Raven; Cuckoo; Hoopoe 

Editor: So, this print is called "Hen; Cock; Hawke; Jay; Muscovia Duck; Raven; Cuckoo; Hoopoe" by Francis Barlow. It depicts many birds! It feels almost like a stage, with all these characters. What do you make of it? Curator: I see a stark commentary on social hierarchy, laid bare through the avian world. Consider the hawk perched above, embodying power, while the domestic fowl are earthbound, their freedom limited. Editor: That's interesting! I was just seeing a bunch of birds. Curator: But is it *just* birds? Barlow lived through immense social upheaval. Could these birds symbolize something more? Perhaps the gentry, the working class? Notice how each bird is labeled… it’s an attempt to categorize. What are the implications of categorization? Editor: So, it's like Barlow is using the birds to talk about the class system of his time? Curator: Precisely. And how that system inherently creates an imbalance of power, a natural food chain. Editor: Wow, I won't look at nature the same way again.