Description
original hand-colour copper engraving. Ornithological print from ‘Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux’ [Natural History of Birds]; pl. 824.
Endemic (4 races) – common. Habitat: grassland, mixed cultivation and second growth up to 2000m level.
With 1,008 plates (of which 973 are birds) drawn by Francois Nicholas Martinet from E.L. Daubenton’s work, printed at theL’Imprimerie Royale.
Certainly considered as the most ambitious & comprehensive bird book appearing at the time of its publication, it still ranks as one of the most important bird books from a collector’s view point.
Condition
margin shaved and browned lower right, barely affecting plate.