This lithograph of the Black-breasted Cincloramphus (Cincloramphus Cantillans) is from John Gould's monumental work, The Birds of Australia, issued in 36 Parts between 1840 and 1848.This is plate number 75 from volume 3 of this work and was drawn and lithographed by John Gould & HC Richter. It is a massive work comprising 8 folio sized volumes that depict and describe all of the 681 Australian bird varieties then known, many of them recorded by Gould himself for the first time. e. John Gould (1804-1881) made a huge contribution to nineteenth century ornithology. Both an outstanding naturalist and a highly successful businessman, he produced 15 major works (totalling nearly 50 folio volumes in all) containing some 3000 colour plates; these describe birds from all the main continents except Africa. He was inspired to work on Australian birds by the many 'strange and unusual' specimens sent to him by his two brothers-in-law, who had emigrated to Australia in the early 1830s. He therefore relinquished his post at the Zoological Society and travelled to Australia in 1838 to record the 'habits and manners of its birds in a state of nature' - in a country that was then largely unchartered. The expedition resulted in Gould discovering over 300 species; although many of these were later deemed to be subspecies, many of his bird names have survived to this day. Size: approximately 22in x 15in (52cm x 36cm).

The print is in excellent condition with two spots in top margin, on thick, high quality paper. Please inspect the image carefully