24 DICTIONARY OF BIRDS 



injury." Earliest in. date, as it is greatest in bulk, stands Audubon's 

 egregious Birds of America, in four volumes, containing 435 plates, 

 of which the first part appeared in London in 1827 and the last in 

 1838.^ It seems not to have been the author's original intention to 

 publish any letterpress to this enormous work, but to let the plates tell 

 their own story, though finally, with the assistance, as is now known, of 

 William Macgillivray, a text, on the whole more than respectable, was 

 produced in five large octavos iinder the title of Ornithological Biography, 

 of which more will be said in the sequel. Audubon has been greatly 

 extolled as an ornithological artist ; but he was far too much addicted to 

 representing his subjects in violent action and in postures that outrage 

 nature, while his drawing is very frequently defective.^ In 1866 Mr. 

 D. G. Elliot began, and in 1869 finished, a sequel to Audubon's great 

 work in two volumes, on the same scale — Tlie New and hitherto Unfigured 

 Species of the Birds of North America, containing life-size figures of all 

 those which had been added to its fauna since the completion of the 

 former. 



In 1830 John Edward Gray commenced the Illustrations of Indian 

 Zoology, a series of plates, mostly of Birds, from drawings by native 

 artists in the collection of General Hardwicke, whose name is therefore 

 associated with the work. Scientific names are assigned to the species 

 figured ; but no text was ever supplied. In 1832 Lear, well known as a 

 painter, brought out his Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidse, a volume 

 which deserves especial notice from the fidelity to nature and the artistic 

 skill with which the figures were executed. 



This same year (1832) saw the beginning of the marvellous series 

 of works by which the name of John Gould is likely to be always re- 

 membered. A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains was 

 followed by The Birds of Europe, in five volumes, published between 

 1832 and 1837, while in 1834 appeared A Monograph of the Ramphas- 

 tidse, of which a second edition was some years later called for ; and then 

 the Icones Avium,, oi which only two parts were published (1837-38), 

 while A Monograph of the Trogonidx (1838), also reached a second edition 

 (1858-75). In 1837-38 he also brought out the first two parts of his 

 Birds of Australia, but speedily perceiving that he could not do justice 

 to the ornithology of the vast island-continent without visiting it, he 

 suspended the publication, and in 1838 sailed for New South Wales. 

 Keturning thence in 1840, he at once cancelled the portion he had 

 issued and commenced anew this, the greatest of all his works, which was 



^ In contrast to this, the largest of ornithological works, I may mention a 

 Histoire NatureUe en Miniature de de [sic] 48 Oisemix (96 pp. Paris: 1816). The 

 only copy I have seen appears to be in the original calf binding, and measures 2'6 by 

 2 "15 inches. I am indebted for the loan of it to Mr. Robert Service. 



- On the completion of these two works, for they mnst be regarded as distinct, 

 an octavo edition in seven volumes under the title of The Birds of America was 

 published in 1840-44. In this the large plates were reduced by means of the 

 ^'camera lucida" the text was revised, and the whole systematically arranged. 

 Other reprints have since been issued, but they are vastly inferior both in execution 

 and value. A sequel to the octavo Birds of America, corresponding with it in form, 

 was brought out in 1853-55 by Cassin as Illustrations of the Birds of California, 

 Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America. 



