'Phalacrocorax Punctatus', lithograph from 'Birds of Australia' by John Gould, 1842

Depicts a Phalacrocorax Punctatus, also known as a Spotted Shag.

John Gould was an English bird expert and artist who travelled to Australia in 1838 to study, describe and illustrate Australia’s bird species. His travels set him apart from the huge number of bird experts studying British species at the time, and in in these seven volumes Gould described many Australian birds for the first time. The prints within ‘The Birds of Australia’ were created using lithography, with the plates being created by Elizabeth Gould, Edward Lear, Waterhouse Hawkins and H.C. Richter. Gould himself wrote lengthy descriptions of each bird’s appearance and nature, which can be seen on the reverse of these prints.

C.19627