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About Skua Gull. Lestrus Catarractes
John Gould (1804-1881) A selection from Birds of Europe, Volume V Natores, published in London 1832-37. Lithograph with original hand-coloring measuring 14 ½” x 21 ½” accompanied by corresponding natural history description written by John Gould. Condition: Very good. Gulls are seafaring birds that are found across all the oceans of the world and many inland waters. Many species of gull have learned to co-exist successfully with man and have thrived in human habitats, they are resourceful and highly-intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly-developed social structure. John Gould was without question the most prolific natural history artist of the nineteenth century. He worked during a period of intense fascination with discoveries in natural history, especially regarding knowledge of the wildlife of exotic lands. Gould shared the romantic enthusiasm of his time for such subjects, as well as the popular impulse to catalogue exotic wildlife. He combined his passion for natural history with outstanding scientific, artistic, and entrepreneurial talents. Drawing on these abilities, he embarked on a series of projects that would eventually make him the leading publisher of ornithological illustrations in Victorian Britain. Gould’s unparalleled career spanned five decades, and he produced a monumental series of books of birds throughout the world. Gould planned the Birds of Europe in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. In his preface he stated his mission: “the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, most interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.” Gould portrayed birds native to Europe in a manner that had only been thought appropriate for the colorful species of distant places. In this way he managed to draw much popular interest back to native birds, which were suddenly
