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GOULD (JOHN) A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds, 5 vol., FIRST EDITION, by the Author, [1849]-1861
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GOULD (JOHN)
Footnotes
"The Trochilidae of Gould is his masterpiece, and must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauties" (Fine Bird Books).
To reproduce the irridescent colours of the humming birds' feathers, Gould used pure gold leaf over-painted with transparent oil colours and varnish. The birds are often shown in flight, darting or hovering among flowers, in order to bring out every aspect of their plumage.
Gould's own remarkable collection of 1500 mounted humming birds was exhibited in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, during the Great Exhibition of 1851. It attracted 75,000 visitors, including Queen Victoria, who recorded in her diary: "It is impossible to imagine anything so lovely as these little Humming Birds, their variety, and the extraordinary brilliance of their colours". A supplement, issued by Henry Sotheran, was published in 1887.
Provenance: Avicultural Society T.H. Newman Bequest 1944, bookplate; acquired from De Goederen, Amsterdam, 4 January 1954; the library of Wassenaar Zoo.





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