ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, OREGON, BRITISH AND RUSSIAN AMERICA
by John Cassin
We are proud to offer for the first time antique bird prints from the exceedingly scarce ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, OREGON, BRITISH AND RUSSIAN AMERICA, First Edition, 1856.
John Cassin (1813-1869) was a leading ornithologist of his time, and the America's first taxonomist. Cassin drew, printed and hand-colored many of the illustrations for the Railroad Surveys as the western regions of the United States were explored. He was named curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1842, and after John T. Bowen's death, he took control of that firm. His ILLUSTRATIONS was intended to be a 3-volume work, but financial considerations prevented more than one volume being published.
These stone lithographs, with hand-coloring, were issued by Cassin as a supplement to John J. Audubon's THE BIRDS OF AMERICA as Audubon completed his octavo edition before he could collect many of the Western birds. In many cases, these prints are some of the first published images of America's birds. Most of the drawings were executed on stone by William E. Hitchcock, with some of the earlier drawings done by George G. White and transferred to stone. All were lithographs and beautifully hand-colored by J. T. Bowen, Audubon's lithographer.
Copies of the text will accompany the prints, and images can be provided upon request. The size of the prints is approximately 7 x 10 1/2 inches. the same as Audubon's octavo edition. Cassin issued only one volume, a total of 50 prints, of which 10 are missing from this collection. Experts estimate less than 100 of these sets still exist today, most of which are institutionalized. This is Americana in its finest sense, and an important supplement to collections of Audubon's birds.
Listed below are 40 of the 50 available. The plate numbers are followed by today's name for the bird with the name Cassin used in parentheses. Also, when plants are present, the Latin name is given.
Plate 1 - GREEN JAY (Mexican Jay) - Plant: Salvia Cocaines (southern part of North America) $750
Plate 3 - BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE (The Black-crested Chickadee) - Plant: Philox Drummondii (North. Mexico and Calif.) $150
Plate 4 - MONTEZUMA QUAIL (Massena Partridge) $250
Plate 5 - HEERMANN'S GULL (The White-headed Gull) $125
Plate 6 - STELLAR'S SEA EAGLE (Northern Sea Eagle) $300
Plate 7 - WRENTIT (Ground Wren) - Plant: Eschscholtzin Californica (California) $200
Plate 8 - HOODED ORIOLE (Cassin's name still in use) $175
Plate 9 - GAMBEL'S QUAIL (Gambel's Partridge) - Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus. $425
Plate 10 - BLACK BRANT (Cassin's name still in use) - margin paper losses. $125
Plate 11 - SAW-WHET OWL (Kirtland's Owl) $350
Plate 12 - GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (Blanding's Finch) - Plant: Nuttallia Digitalis (Calif.) $200
Plate 13 - HOUSE FINCH (Cassin's name still in use) $275
Plate 16 - PRAIRIE FALCON (The American Lanier Falcon) $250
Plate 17 - BROWN TOWHEE (The Canon Finch) $250
Plate 18 - VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Scarlet-crowned Flycatcher) $425
Plate 19 - SCALED QUAIL (Blue Partridge or Scaly Partridge) $375
Plate 20 - RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW (Brown-headed Finch) - Plant: Ipomea (western species) $175
Plate 21 - AUDUBON'S ORIOLE (Black-headed Oriole) $425
Plate 23 - BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (Black-throated Finch) - Plant: Spirea Douglasii (western North America) $350
Plate 25 - CACTUS WREN (Brown-headed Creeper) $375
Plate 26 - FERRUGINOUS HAWK (Ferruginous Buzzard) $250
Plate 27 - BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER (Black-headed Gnat-catcher) - Plant: Zauschneria Californica (California) $425
Plate 28 - PINYON JAY (Prince Maximilian's Jay) $350 SOLD
Plate 29 - PHAINOPEPIA (Black Fly-catcher) $425
Plate 31 - SWAINSON'S HAWK (Brown Buzzard) $250
Plate 32 - WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (Black-breasted Woodpecker) - Plant: Habrothamnus fasciculatus (Mexico) $375
Plate 34 - NORTHERN WHEATEAR (American Stone Chat) - Plant: Abronia umbellata (western North America) $350
Plate 35 - BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS (Cassin's name still in use) $150
Plate 36 - GREATER ROADRUNNER (Ground Cuckoo or Prairie Cock) $750 SOLD
Plate 37 - BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO (Long-billed Flycatcher or John-to-Whit) $125
Plate 38 - SAVANNAH SPARROW (Long-billed Swamp Sparrow) $150
Plate 39 - MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR (McCown's Bunting) $150
Plate 40 - AMERICAN AVOCET (Western Avocet) $150
Plate 41 - SWAINSON'S HAWK (Baird's Buzzard) $175
Plate 44 - PLAIN CHACHALACA (Texan Guan) $325
Plate 45 - CANADA GOOSE (White-necked Goose) $450
Plate 46 - FORK-TAILED PETREL - (Gray Storm Petrel) $150
Plate 47 - KIRTLAND'S WARBLER (Cassin's name still used) - Plant: Penstemon (Texas) $525
Plate 49 - IMPERIAL WOODPECKER (Great-crested Woodpecker) $750
Plate 50 - SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS (Cassin's name still used) $325