BIRD PLATE. Martinet. 1768.
Histoire Naturelle. Lower left: Martinet del. Lower right: Benard Fecit. 13”h x 8”w. Upper right corner: Pl. XLIII. Engraving on laid paper. Engraved by Robert Benard after François Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1790). Scales in “Pouces” [inches] incorporated in the image.

Four birds, realistically posed, on one plate:

Fig. 1. Gobe – Mouche Hupé de Madagascar. (Flycatcher of Madagascar.)
Fig. 2. Le Pique – Bœuf. (Red-Billed Oxpecker)
Fig. 3. Etourneau du Cap de Bonn Espérance. (Starling of the Cape of Good Hope.)
Fig. 4. Paon de Mer. (Sea Peacock.)

Published in thel'Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers, edited by Denis Diderot (1713-1784) and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783). The first volume of text was published in 1751. Six others followed at approximately yearly intervals until 1757. The last 10 were published in 1765. The 11 volumes of plates were published during the period 1762 to 1772. These were followed in 1776-1777 by four volumes of supplementary text and one volume of plates. The two-volume index was published in 1780. All together there were 35 volumes with 23 volumes of text containing 72,000 articles written by 140 authors plus 12 volumes of some 2900 plates. Originally sold by subscription, the Encyclopédie went through several editions and about 4,500 copies were sold.

The plate volumes were titled: Recueil de Planches, Sur les Sciences, les Arts Libéraux, et les Arts Méchaniques, avec Leur Explication. The plate described above is from the “Sixieme Volume” of plates, published in 1768.

François Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1790) illustrated birds in books by some of the most influential ornithologists in 18th-century France. He had been trained as an engineer and draftsman. Illustrating books appears to have begun as a secondary profession, for which he is now famous. Toward the end of his career, Martinet drew upon his experience in engraving birds for others to publish his own ornithology books, producing plates until his death sometime in the late 1780s or early 1790s (sources disagree on the year).

BIRD PLATE. Martinet. 1768.
Histoire Naturelle. Lower left: Martinet del. Lower right: Benard Fecit. Upper right corner: Pl. XLII. 13”h x 8”w. Hand-colored engraving on laid paper. Engraved by Robert Benard, a French engraver, from the drawing by François Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1790).

Six birds, realistically posed, on one plate:

Fig. 1. Grimpereau Bleu de Cayenne. (Blue Creeper of Cayenne.) Fig. 2. Colibri de Cayenne. (Hummingbird.) Fig. 3. L’Oiseau – Mouche. (Hummingbird.) Fig. 4. L’Oiseau Mouche Hupe. Fig. 5. Bec – Figue de St. Domingue. (Fly Catcher) Fig. 6. Torchepot du Canada. (Red-breasted Nuthatch.)

Published in the l'Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers, edited by Denis Diderot (1713-1784) and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783). The first volume of text was published in 1751. Six others followed at approximately yearly intervals until 1757. The last 10 were published in 1765. The 11 volumes of plates were published during the period 1762 to 1772. These were followed in 1776-1777 by four volumes of supplementary text and one volume of plates. The two-volume index was published in 1780. All together there were 35 volumes with 23 volumes of text containing 72,000 articles written by 140 authors plus 12 volumes of some 2900 plates. Approximately 4,500 copies of the Encyclopédie were sold.

The plate volumes were titled: .Recueil de Planches, Sur les Sciences, les Arts Libéraux, et les Arts Méchaniques, avec Leur Explication. The plate described above is from the “Sixieme Volume” of plates, published in 1768.

François Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1790) illustrated birds in books by some of the most influential ornithologists in 18th-century France. He had been trained as an engineer and draftsman. Illustrating books appears to have begun as a secondary profession, for which he is now famous. Toward the end of his career, Martinet drew upon his experience in engraving birds for others to publish his own ornithology books, producing plates until his death sometime in the late 1780s or early 1790s (sources disagree on the year).

BIRD PLATE. Cuckoos. Martinet. c1768.
Histoire Naturelle. Lower left: Martinet del. Lower right: Benard Fecit. 13”h x 8”w. Upper right corner: Pl. XLI. Hand-colored engraving on laid paper. Engraved by Robert Benard after François Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1790). Scale in “Pouces” [inches] incorporated in the image.

Four birds, realistically posed, on one plate:

Fig. 1. Le Barbu de Cayenne. (Barbet of French Guiana.) Fig. 2. Le Coucou Bleu de la Chine. (Blue Cuckoo of China.) Fig. 3. Le Couroucou Verd de Cayenne. (GreenTrogon.) Note: The South American Couroucou, or Trogon curucui, is the smallest bird in the world other than the humming bird family. Fig. 4. Le Bout de Petun. (Razor-billed Blackbird.)

Published in the l'Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers, edited by Denis Diderot (1713-1784) and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783). The first volume of text was published in 1751. Six others followed at approximately yearly intervals until 1757. The last 10 were published in 1765. The 11 volumes of plates were published during the period 1762 to 1772. These were followed in 1776-1777 by four volumes of supplementary text and one volume of plates. The two-volume index was published in 1780. All together there were 35 volumes with 23 volumes of text containing 72,000 articles written by 140 authors plus 12 volumes of some 2900 plates. Approximately 4,500 copies of the Encyclopédie were sold.

The plate volumes were titled: Recueil de Planches, Sur les Sciences, les Arts Libéraux, et les Arts Méchaniques, avec Leur Explication. The plate described above is from the “Sixieme Volume” of plates, published in 1768.

François Nicolas Martinet illustrated birds in books by some of the most influential ornithologists in 18th-century France. He had been trained as an engineer and draftsman. Illustrating books appears to have begun as a secondary profession, for which he is now famous. Toward the end of his career, Martinet drew upon his experience in engraving birds for others to publish his own ornithology books, producing plates until his death sometime in the late 1780s or early 1790s (sources disagree on the year).

Habert-Dys, Jules-Auguste. BIRDS. 1887.
Vol d'oiseaux. [Flight of birds.] Upper left: Planche 5. Upper right: Fantasies Décoratives. Lower left: Habert-Dys, del. Lower right: J. Rouam, Editeur, Paris. Bottom center: Grav. impr. par Gillot. 79, rue Madame. Image is 7 ½”w x 10 ½”h on 8 ¾”w x 10 ½”h sheet laid on 12”w x 16”h white heavy stock. Original color lithograph. Outer margins of the white sheet have some light foxing. Image is very good. Plate 5. The image was drawn by Jules Auguste Habert-Dys (b.1850). The lithographer and printer of the plate was Charles Gillot (1853-1903).

Published in Fantaisies Décoratives composées par J. Habert-Dys.... Paris: Librairie de l'Art, 1886-1887. J. Rouam, editor.

A study in bird flight showing birds in 22 different positions.

GANNET. Audubon. c1856.
Common Gannet. Lower left: Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S Lower right: Lith’d. Printed & Col’d. by J.T. Bowen Philad’a. Upper left: [Part Number] No. 85. Upper right: Pl. 425. Image 5”w x 7”h on 6 ¾”w x 10 ¾”h sheet with book binding marks at the upper margin. This is not a photographic reprint. Lightly toned; upper margin chipped at edge, but image in very good condition. From J. J. Audubon’s The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories.

This is a colored lithograph after John James Audubon (1785-1851) by John T. Bowen (1801-1856). The initials “F.R.S.F.L.S.” after Audubon’s name stand for Fellow, Royal Society; Fellow, Linnean Society. They were the two top natural history societies in England at that time.

The common Gannet is found on the coasts of the North Atlantic; on the American side going south in winter to the Gulf of Mexico, and on the European side to North Africa, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. It has a close dense plumage of general whitish color, buff yellow on the head and hind neck, and the bill is pale bluish grey. It is a large bird, approximately 40 inches long with a 38-inch wingspan. As shown on the plate, the young are mostly brown with some white above and grayish white below.

Audubon’s Birds of America from Original Drawings by John James Audubon, was a huge, double elephant folio-size work comprised of 435 hand-colored engravings in four volumes, printed in England during the years 1827-1838. The plate size was about 29” x 39”. W. H. Lizars began to produce the first plates. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon turned to Robert Havell, a London engraver, to complete the task of engraving, printing and painting the plates based on Audubon’s original watercolors. This edition is referred to as the Havell edition.

Following the success of his large folio edition Audubon offered a miniature or “Royal Octavo Edition” which was lithographed and hand-colored in Philadelphia during 1839-44 by John T. Bowen. This was the only of the octavo editions personally supervised by Audubon. The 1st edition of The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories was published in 100 parts and also in seven volumes by Audubon and J.B. Chevalier, New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Unlike the folio edition described above this was issued with text and was considerably smaller. The part number shown at the upper left refers to the group of five issued at one time, making a total of 500 prints.

Subsequent editions of the smaller (octavo) size with the same title were published from 1856 (this was after Audubon's death in 1851) to about 1871. They were printed in color rather than hand-colored. These are often called “Second Editions” regardless of when published (1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1865, and 1870-71).

GROUSE. Hardwick. 1829.
The Singed Grous. Pterocles Exustus. Male. Lower left: Mus. Genl. Hardwick. Bottom: London. Published by Whittaker & Co. Ave Maria Lane. Oct. 1829. 8 ¾”h x 5 ¼’w (to plate marks) on 9 ¼” h x 5 ½”w sheet.

The belly of the male is brown, as if scorched. Pterocles Exustus is now commonly called the “Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse” which is found in sparse, bushy, arid land in central and northern Africa, and southern Asia. Although they live in hot, arid climates, they are highly reliant on water. Their diets consist mainly of seeds, grasses and herbs. They have small, pigeon-like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. Legs are feathered down to the toes. Sandgrouse have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk.

Major General Hardwick (1755-1835), FRS, also Hardwicke in some literature, was a naturalist, collecting especially India, the Indian Ocean and Africa. He donated his collections to the British Museum. The fact that his work was featured in an 1830 book by J.E Gray, The Illustrations of Indian Zoology, chiefly selected from the collection of General Hardwicke, attests to the level of Hardwick’s interest in zoology. John E. Gray donated a lithographic portrait of General Hardwick from a painting by Lucas to The Royal Society of London in 1831.

JAY. Audubon. c1856.
Ultramarine Jay. Lower left: Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S Lower right: Lith’d. Printed & Col’d. by J.T. Bowen Philad’a. Upper left: [Part Number] No. 47. Upper right: Pl. 232. Image 5”w x 7 ¼”h on 6 ¾”w x 10 ½”h sheet with book binding marks at the left margin. This is not a photographic reprint. Lightly toned; upper margin chipped at corners, but image in very good condition. From J. J. Audubon’s The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories.

This is a colored lithograph after John James Audubon (1785-1851) by John T. Bowen (1801-1856). The initials “F.R.S.F.L.S.” after Audubon’s name stand for Fellow, Royal Society; Fellow, Linnean Society. They were the two top natural history societies in England at that time.

The Ultramarine Jay (Scrub Jay is found throughout western North America and Florida. The Ultramarine Jay is unique because it lacks a crest. The upper part of the head, sides and back of the neck, wings and tail are light blue and the male is 12 inches long. Most Jays are omnivorous, eating seeds and nuts, but sometimes steal eggs.

Audubon’s Birds of America from Original Drawings by John James Audubon, was a huge, double elephant folio-size work comprised of 435 hand-colored engravings in four volumes, printed in England during the years 1827-1838. The plate size was about 29” x 39”. W. H. Lizars began to produce the first plates. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon turned to Robert Havell, a London engraver, to complete the task of engraving, printing and painting the plates based on Audubon’s original watercolors. This edition is referred to as the Havell edition.

Following the success of his large folio edition Audubon offered a miniature or “Royal Octavo Edition” which was lithographed and hand-colored in Philadelphia during 1839-44 by John T. Bowen. This was the only of the octavo editions personally supervised by Audubon. The 1st edition of The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories was published in 100 parts and also in seven volumes by Audubon and J.B. Chevalier, New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Unlike the folio edition described above, this was issued with text and was considerably smaller. The part number shown at the upper left refers to the group of five issued at one time, making a total of 500 prints.

Subsequent editions of the smaller (octavo) size had the same title and were published from 1856 (this was after Audubon's death in 1851) to about 1871. They were printed in color rather than hand-colored. These are often called “Second Editions” regardless of when published (1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1865, and 1870-71).

COLLARED PLOVER. Curtis. 1828.
Collared Plover. Var? Charadrius Jamaicensis. Gm? 5 ½”w x 9”h to platemarks. Imprint: London. Published by G. B. Whittaker. June 1828. Lower left: C.M. Curtis del. Revd. Mr. Hannah’s Mus. Hand colored. Faint stain at right. Otherwise very good condition.

From the title it is obvious that either Curtis or Hannah had questions about the identification of this bird. The Collared Plover, now Charadrius collaris, is a small wader in the plover bird family. It breeds from Mexico south through Central America and most of South America. It also occurs on some of the southern Caribbean islands, and both Trinidad and Tobago. At that time it must have been seen on Jamaica. It appears to be mainly sedentary with limited seasonal movements.

QUAIL. Smith. 1828.
St. Lorenzo Quail. Lower left: C. Hamilton Smith Esqe. delt. Bottom center: London. Published by G.B. Whittaker Oct. 1828. 5 ¼”w x 9”h between plate marks. Colored.

Charles Hamilton Smith (1776-1859) was an Englishman of enormous talents: a soldier, scientist, artist and author.

As a scientist he exchanged letters with Charles Darwin. As an example of his scientific work, among his writings was The Natural History of the Human Speciespublished in London in 1848 and 1852, and 1855 (Boston).

Another example of his scientific work concerns classifying plant and animals. In 1753, a scientist in Sweden named Carolus Linnaeus thought of an orderly system for classifying plants and animals. He grouped all organisms according to a two-part name (binomial). The first part of the name is the "generic" grouping or genus. The second part is the "specific" grouping or species. When Linnaeus first classified the bison in 1758 for his 10th Edition of his Systema Naturae, he assigned the animal to “Bos”, the same genus as domestic cattle. (In North America the bison is commonly called the buffalo.) During the 19th Century, taxidermists determined that there was adequate anatomical distinctiveness to warrant assigning the bison to its own genus. Therefore, in 1827, C. Hamilton Smith assigned the sub-generic name “Bison” to the American bison and European bison.

MERGANSER. Audubon. c1856.
White Merganser, Snew, White Nun. Lower left: Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S Lower right: Bowen & Co. lith. & col Philada. Upper left: [Part Number] No. 83. Upper right: Pl. 414. Image 5”w x 7”h on 6 ¾”w x 10 ¾”h sheet. Lightly toned; upper margin chipped, but image in very good condition. This is not a photographic reprint. From J. J. Audubon’s The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories.

This is a colored lithograph after John James Audubon (1785-1851) by John T. Bowen (1801-1856). The initials “F.R.S.F.L.S.” after Audubon’s name stand for Fellow, Royal Society; Fellow, Linnean Society. They were the two top natural history societies in England at that time.

Mergansers are allied with ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill, eat fish, and dive for food. Audubon found only one in the United States – a female he shot near New Orleans in 1819.

Audubon’s Birds of America from Original Drawings by John James Audubon, was a huge, double elephant folio-size work comprised of 435 hand-colored engravings in four volumes, printed in England during the years 1827-1838. The plate size was about 29” x 39”. W. H. Lizars began to produce the first plates. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon turned to Robert Havell, a London engraver to complete the task of engraving, printing and painting the plates based on Audubon’s original watercolors. This edition is referred to as the Havell edition.

Following the success of his large folio edition Audubon offered a miniature or “Royal Octavo Edition” which was lithographed and hand-colored in Philadelphia during 1839-44 by John T. Bowen. This was the only of the octavo editions personally supervised by Audubon. The 1st edition of The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories was published in seven volumes by Audubon and J.B. Chevalier, New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Unlike the folio edition described above this was issued with text and was considerably smaller.

Subsequent editions of the smaller (octavo) size with the same title were published from 1856 (this was after Audubon's death in 1851) to about 1871. They were printed in color rather than hand-colored. These are often called “Second Editions” regardless of when published (1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1865, and 1870-71).

TERN. Audubon. c1856.
Roseate Tern. Lower left: Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S. Center under image: Light House, St. John, New Brunswick. Lower right: Lith. & Col'd. by Bowen & Co, Philada. Upper left:[Part Number] No. 88. Upper right: Pl. 437. Image 5”w x 7 ½”h on 6 ¾”w x 10 ½”h sheet with book binding marks at left margin. This is not a photographic reprint. Lightly toned, but very good condition. From J. J. Audubon’s The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories.

This is a colored lithograph after John James Audubon (1785-1851) by John T. Bowen (1801-1856). The initials “F.R.S.F.L.S.” after Audubon’s name stand for Fellow, Royal Society; Fellow, Linnean Society. They were the two top natural history societies in England at that time.

The name Roseate Tern derives from the faint pink hue on the breast. Sexes look similar, with a slender pale pearly gray-white body, black cap, deeply forked tail with long outer tail feathers, long red legs, and a long, thin, black bill which reddens at the base as the breeding season progresses, then reverts to black again. Roseate Terns forage in coastal waters, and nest on islands and ocean coasts. Source: National Audubon Society.

Birds of America from Original Drawings by John James Audubon, was a huge, double elephant folio-size work comprised of 435 hand-colored engravings in four volumes, printed in England during the years 1827-1838. The plate size was about 29” x 39”. W. H. Lizars began to produce the first plates. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon turned to Robert Havell, a London engraver, to complete the task of engraving, printing and painting the plates based on Audubon’s original watercolors. This edition is referred to as the Havell edition.

Following the success of his large folio edition Audubon offered a miniature or “Royal Octavo Edition” which was lithographed and hand-colored in Philadelphia during 1840-44 by John T. Bowen. This was the only of the octavo editions personally supervised by Audubon. The 1st edition of The Birds of America from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories was published in 100 parts and also in seven volumes by Audubon and J.B. Chevalier, New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Unlike the folio edition described above, this was issued with text and was considerably smaller. The part number shown at the upper left refers to the group of five issued at one time, making a total of 500 prints.

Subsequent editions of the smaller (octavo) size had the same title and were published from 1856 (this was after Audubon's death in 1851) to about 1871. They were printed in color rather than hand-colored. These are often called “Second Editions” regardless of when published (1856, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1865, and 1870-71).

TURTLE DOVE. Hardwick. 1829.
Spotted-Necked Turtle. Col Turtur. Lin. Var. Lower left: Mus. Genl. Hardwick. Bottom: London. Published by Whittaker & Co. Ave Maria Lane. Oct. 1829.

The spotted-necked turtle dove, has a reddish rose breast, is brown on the back, the larger feathers of the upper parts being slightly edged with lighter brown, giving a mottled appearance at close range, but the distinguishing feature is a patch of black and white checker board on each side of the neck. Beginning with only two or three dots on each side in the first winter, it develops until the two patches meet, creating a broad collar one or two inches in width.

Major Thomas General Hardwick (1755 – 3 May 1835), FRS, also Hardwicke in some literature, was a naturalist, collecting especially in India, the Indian Ocean and Africa. He donated his collections to the British Museum. The fact that his work was featured in an 1830 book by J.E Gray, The Illustrations of Indian Zoology, chiefly selected from the collection of General Hardwicke, attests to the level of Hardwick’s interest in zoology. John E. Gray donated a lithographic portrait of General Hardwick from a painting by Lucas to The Royal Society of London in 1831.