The Naturalist's Library: Ornithology: Vol. 10 Part II: Birds of Great Britain and Ireland: Incessores

Very good copy of one of four volumes on British ornithology from Sir William Jardine's ambitious Victorian series The Naturalist's Library

Birds of Great Britain and Ireland, Part 2, Incessores, written by Sir William Jardine, 33 (of 32) steel plates by James Stewart including portrait of Scottish obstetrician William Smellie engraved by William Lizars

32 finely handcoloured plates bound at rear, including three plates of eggs, frontispiece vignette of a robin bringing food to its young in a nest and one duplicate plate, Pl.7 the nightingale.

Birds include shrike, dipper, blackbird, oriole, goldcrest, bluetit, finches, jay, woodpecker, kingfisher, swallow, roller, etc.

Sir William Jardine (1800-1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is best known for writing and editing the 40-volume series of natural history books, The Naturalist's Library from 1833 to 1866. "In addition to the description and depiction (mostly finely coloured plates) by various well-known contributors to almost the whole range of the subject, the series is supplemented by biographies of famous naturalists of all times and all countries. It is well described as a remarkable little library of early nineteenth zoology, as well as a brief account of the lives of the chief zoologists of all time." (Casey Wood)

Half-leather binding with honey-coloured leather spine, gold titles and volume numbers, marble boards rubbed, book block solid. Slight age-toning to text pages, but all steel engravings clean and bright with delicate handcolour. Three plates trimmed with some loss to image (thrush, raven, cuckoo).

Very good copy of this handsome guide to British birds.