This fine original hand-coloured steel engraving of the Malacca Ring-Parakeet or Palaeornis Malaccensis is from Parrots, Volume X of the Naturalist?s Library series, published by Chatto & Windus, London 1836.The parrots were drawn by Edward Lear and engraved by the eminent Edinburgh engraver WH Lizars. Lear assisted Prideaux John Selby with illustrations for his work on parrots for Sir William Jardine's Naturalist's Library. WH Lizars engraved each finely detailed specimen in its natural habitat. Only the bird was hand-coloured. These small nature portraits are some of the finest ever produced or a perfect combination of science and art. Edward Lear (1812-1888) worked as a scientific artist for the Zoological Society in London. He was the first eminent artist to draw fauna from life rather than from stuffed skins. Between 1830 and 1832 Lear painted and lithographed parrots for his publication, Illustrations of the Family Psittacidae, or Parrots, which resulted in his being elected an associate of the Linnaean Society. Size: 4in x 6.5in (10cm x 17cm).

The print is in excellent condition - please inspect the image carefully as it is very accurate.