Imperial folio (552 x 375 mm). 51 fine hand-colored lithographed plates after Gould and H.C. Richter, 1 uncolored anatomical plate by G. Scharf, printed by Hullmandel & Walton; WITH AN EXTRA SUITE OF 33 HAND-COLORED LITHOGRAPHED PLATES FROM THE FIRST EDITION inserted at end; binder's slip tipped-in at end. (A few plates with light marginal toning, a few text leaves with spotting.) Contemporary dark blue-green morocco gilt, sides with wide gilt-tooled borders and cornerpieces, spine in 6 compartments with 5 raised bands, gilt-lettered in 2, the rest gilt-tooled, all edges gilt (light rubbing near extremities).

Second edition of Gould's first monograph of a bird family, including 18 additional plates not featured in the first edition published 20 years earlier (see previous lot). Gould in fact considered this edition a new work because he increased the number of species significantly and because he proposed to divide the group into six genera, rather than two. "This revised edition contained new drawings of the old species, and figures and descriptions of no less than eighteen others—all, in fact, that are known up to the present time. Great attention has been paid to the colouring of the soft parts—the orbits, eyes, bill, legs, &c—the hues of which are so evanescent, that unless they be either drawn or noted down from the living bird or immediately after death, it is impossible to present faithful portraitures ..." (from Gould's Preface). Anker 170; Fine Bird Books, p.77; Nissen IVB 378; Sauer 19; Wood, p.365; Zimmer, p.259