Portable horizontal dial for latitudes 25°-40° North, made of white metal and set in a mahogany box. The degree scale beneath the compass glass is divided clockwise from 0°-(360°), and sixteen points are marked by French initials except North which is shown by an arrowhead. The steel needle is rusty and blued at its North end, and there is a glass plate over all. Magnetic North is indicated at 343° and true North is indicated at 355°. The gnomon is hinged and appears in the form of a bird, folding flat when not in use. It is also intricately shaped and decorated with a floral pattern. There is a latitude scale on the West side.

The use of the bird index is reminiscent of the Butterfield dials of an earlier era. The latitudes at which this dial can be used are unusually low and suggest that it was intended for use in the French colonies of North Africa. French expansion in this area was most rapid between 1871 and 1912. A similar instrument is in the History of Science Museum, Oxford (inventory no. 40133).

For more information regarding this dial please refer to the OUP & NMM catalogue, 'Sundials at Greenwich'.