1803 Antique Bird Engraving - Wood Lark, Skylark & American Red Lark - Edwards
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:19978714 | Subject: Botanical |
| Print Type: Engraving |
A beautiful antique engraving which was an illustration to "An Universal System of Natural History", by Ebenezer Sibly - see below - and published in London in four parts (volumes) c1803 - see frontispiece, not included
The image, drawn by George Edwards - see below - is of the following:
1. The Wood-Lark - see below2. The Sky-Lark3. The Red-Lark of America
The engraver was John Pass whose murder in 1832 caused a London sensation - see below
Good condition - one ...slightly ragged edge where removed from the publication - see scan. Original hand-coloring. Page size 5 x 8.5 inches. Dated 1803
Although modestly priced, this is an original engraving guaranteed to be of the period quoted (200 years plus), and not a reproduction. I will be listing others from this publication and am happy to combine for mailing at no extra costDescription[edit]A chestnut-backed sparrow-larkLarks, which are part of the family Alaudidae, are small- to medium-sized birds, 12 to 24 cm (4.7 to 9.4 in) in length and 15 to 75 g (0.5 to 2.6 oz) in mass.[12]Like many ground birds, most lark species have long hind claws, which are thought to provide stability while standing. Most have streaked brown plumage, some boldly marked with black or white. Their dull appearance camouflages them on the ground, especially when on the nest. They feed on insects and seeds; though adults of most species eat seeds primarily, all species feed their young insects for at least the first week after hatching. Many species dig with their bills to uncover food. Some larks have heavy bills (reaching an extreme in the thick-billed lark) for cracking seeds open, while others have long, down-curved bills, which are especially suitable for digging.[12]Larks are the only passerines that lose all their feathers in their first moult (in all species whose first moult is known). This may result from the poor quality of the chicks' feathers, which in turn may result from the benefits to the parents of switching the young to a lower-quality diet (seeds), which requires less work from the parents.[12]In many respects, including long tertial feathers, larks resemble other ground birds such as pipits. However, in larks the tarsus (the lowest leg bone, connected to the toes) has only one set of scales on the rear surface, which is rounded. Pipits and all other songbirds have two plates of scales on the rear surface, which meet at a protruding rear edge.[3]Calls and song[edit]Larks have more elaborate calls than most birds, and often extravagant songs given in display flight.[12] These melodious sounds (to human ears), combined with a willingness to expand into anthropogenic habitats — as long as these are not too intensively managed — have ensured larks a prominent place in literature and music, especially the Eurasian skylark in northern Europe and the crested lark and calandra lark in southern Europe.Behaviour[edit]Breeding[edit]Male larks use song flights to defend their breeding territory and attract a mate. Most species build nests on the ground, usually cups of dead grass, but in some species the nests are more complicated and partly domed. A few desert species nest very low in bushes, perhaps so circulating air can cool the nest.[12] Larks' eggs are usually speckled. The size of the clutch is very variable and ranges from the single egg laid by Sclater's lark up to 6-8 eggs laid by the calandra lark and the black lark.[13] Larks incubate for 11 to 16 days.[12]In culture[edit]Larks as food[edit]Larks, commonly consumed with bones intact, have historically been considered wholesome, delicate, and light game. They can be used in a number of dishes; for example, they can be stewed, broiled, or used as filling in a meat pie. Lark's tongues were particularly highly valued. In modern times, shrinking habitats made lark meat rare and hard to come by, though it can still be found in restaurants in Italy and elsewhere in southern Europe.[14]
Ebenezer Sibly
The image, drawn by George Edwards - see below - is of the following:
1. The Wood-Lark - see below2. The Sky-Lark3. The Red-Lark of America
The engraver was John Pass whose murder in 1832 caused a London sensation - see below
Good condition - one ...slightly ragged edge where removed from the publication - see scan. Original hand-coloring. Page size 5 x 8.5 inches. Dated 1803
Although modestly priced, this is an original engraving guaranteed to be of the period quoted (200 years plus), and not a reproduction. I will be listing others from this publication and am happy to combine for mailing at no extra costDescription[edit]A chestnut-backed sparrow-larkLarks, which are part of the family Alaudidae, are small- to medium-sized birds, 12 to 24 cm (4.7 to 9.4 in) in length and 15 to 75 g (0.5 to 2.6 oz) in mass.[12]Like many ground birds, most lark species have long hind claws, which are thought to provide stability while standing. Most have streaked brown plumage, some boldly marked with black or white. Their dull appearance camouflages them on the ground, especially when on the nest. They feed on insects and seeds; though adults of most species eat seeds primarily, all species feed their young insects for at least the first week after hatching. Many species dig with their bills to uncover food. Some larks have heavy bills (reaching an extreme in the thick-billed lark) for cracking seeds open, while others have long, down-curved bills, which are especially suitable for digging.[12]Larks are the only passerines that lose all their feathers in their first moult (in all species whose first moult is known). This may result from the poor quality of the chicks' feathers, which in turn may result from the benefits to the parents of switching the young to a lower-quality diet (seeds), which requires less work from the parents.[12]In many respects, including long tertial feathers, larks resemble other ground birds such as pipits. However, in larks the tarsus (the lowest leg bone, connected to the toes) has only one set of scales on the rear surface, which is rounded. Pipits and all other songbirds have two plates of scales on the rear surface, which meet at a protruding rear edge.[3]Calls and song[edit]Larks have more elaborate calls than most birds, and often extravagant songs given in display flight.[12] These melodious sounds (to human ears), combined with a willingness to expand into anthropogenic habitats — as long as these are not too intensively managed — have ensured larks a prominent place in literature and music, especially the Eurasian skylark in northern Europe and the crested lark and calandra lark in southern Europe.Behaviour[edit]Breeding[edit]Male larks use song flights to defend their breeding territory and attract a mate. Most species build nests on the ground, usually cups of dead grass, but in some species the nests are more complicated and partly domed. A few desert species nest very low in bushes, perhaps so circulating air can cool the nest.[12] Larks' eggs are usually speckled. The size of the clutch is very variable and ranges from the single egg laid by Sclater's lark up to 6-8 eggs laid by the calandra lark and the black lark.[13] Larks incubate for 11 to 16 days.[12]In culture[edit]Larks as food[edit]Larks, commonly consumed with bones intact, have historically been considered wholesome, delicate, and light game. They can be used in a number of dishes; for example, they can be stewed, broiled, or used as filling in a meat pie. Lark's tongues were particularly highly valued. In modern times, shrinking habitats made lark meat rare and hard to come by, though it can still be found in restaurants in Italy and elsewhere in southern Europe.[14]
Ebenezer Sibly
