For the Love of Birds

John Gould. The birds of Australia. [Facsimile edition]. Melbourne: Lansdowne, 1972-1975. Eight volumes. Vol. 4 displayed.

John Gould (1804-1881) was an English ornithologist, taxidermist and museum curator famed for his work in Australia, where he studied the bird fauna from 1838 to 1840 with his wife and illustrator Elizabeth Gould, née Coxen (1804-1841). The birds of Australia, published in seven volumes from 1840 to 1848, was the first comprehensive illustrated account of Australian birds. An eighth volume supplement followed in 1869.

The work was illustrated with more than 600 hand-coloured lithographs, including 84 plates and an unspecified number of designs by Elizabeth Gould, who sketched birds from life. She died in 1841 and illustrations by several artists were subsequently used, the majority being by H.C. Richter (1821-1902).

The birds of Australia contains several New Zealand birds, including the huia, depicted here on a karaka tree in fruit. The beaks of the male and female were so different that the two sexes were originally described as two separate species. This illustration is attributed to John and Elizabeth Gould.

John Gould. The birds of Australia. [Facsimile edition]. Melbourne: Lansdowne, 1972-1975. Eight volumes. Vol. 4 displayed.
Open image in new window