Beschreibung:

VIEILLOT, Louis Jean Pierre (1748-1831). Ornithologie française ou Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Oiseaux de France . [Paris: J. S. Merlin, 1823-30].
VIEILLOT, Louis Jean Pierre (1748-1831). Ornithologie française ou Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Oiseaux de France . [Paris: J. S. Merlin, 1823-30]. 4° (293 x 217 mm). 48 hand-coloured lithographic plates. (Some variable light spotting throughout.) Contemporary half calf (a little rubbed at extremities). Provenance : George Savile Foljambe (bookplate). FIRST EDITION. Collates as per Anker 516, without their plate CCCLXX but with plate CCCLXXI not called for in Anker bound at end. The title is derived from the part wrappers (not present here) - no title page was issued. 'Twelve livraisons appeared in 1823-30, each containing a sheet of text and six plates. Livraisons 1-4 appeared in 1823, 5-7 in 1825, 8 in 1826, and 9-12 in 1830. Publication then ceased; but in 1907, a series of altogether 100 plates was issued [not present here] ... The text (pp.1-55) is a systematically arranged synopsis of the group of birds ('Classe seconde de la zoologie'), with diagnoses of orders, families, and genera, while the remainder of the text (pp.1-8) contains the beginning of the account of the 'Histoire naturelle des Accipitres, ou oiseaux de proie', with descriptions to Pl. I and II and the beginning of the text to Pl. III and IV' (Anker). In the present work, the binder has placed the text for the 'Accipitres' at the beginning. Anker 516; Nissen BBI 958; Ronsil 3030.