Beschreibung:

ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915). A Monograph of the Bucerotidae, or Family of the Hornbills . [New York:] published for subscribers by the author [printed by Taylor and Francis], [1877]-1882. Large 4 (380 x 275mm.) 60 lithographic plates, comprising 57 hand-coloured plates by and after J. G. Keulemans, and 3 uncoloured plates of generic characters by and after J. Smit, all printed by M. and N. Hanhart, anatomical illustrations. (Some plates browned at outer blank margin, very light occasional spotting.) Contemporary half morocco, t.e.g., others uncut (neatly rebacked, preserving old spine, inner hinges strengthened). Issued in 10 parts, this was the last of Elliott's great ornithological monographs. Zimmer calls it 'a comprehensive treatment of the entire family of hornbills', a genus between the Kingfishers and the Hoopoes, inhabiting the Ethiopian, Oriental and Australian regions. 'The formidable bill ... formidable in appearance only, as it is mainly hollow and permeated with a network of boney fibres,' was a peculiarity that interested Elliot. Another characteristic, unusual in birds, was 'the possession of long and strong eyelashes....' The family is arranged into two divisions, the ground- and tree-hornbills, the first consisting of just three species and the last over fifty in number. Plate 44 although included on the plate list was never issued. Fine Bird Books p. 74; Nissen IVB 297; Zimmer p. 207.