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large 8vo, xii, 292pp, additional pictorial title, with 30 fine coloured litho plates by H. Gronvold, G.E. Lodge, and J.G. Keulemans, occasional light scattered spotting, original subscriber's presentation inscription to flyleaf, t.e.g., contemp. half morocco gilt, uniformally sunned on spine unaffecting gilt lettering, lightly rubbed on some extremities. A VG+ copy, with minor wear to extremities, of this extraordinary book on the ducks of India. This edition is limited to 1,200 copies,after which the Lithographs were erased. This copy also contains two original watercolours mounted on the rear endpaper of a "Carolina Duck" and a "Mandarin or Chinese Teal." Ex Libris Colonel [W.G.] Hatherell, Ahmedabad, India 1908, (and an original subscriber) with a neat ink presentation inscription to F. R. Hatherell on the blank front free endpaper. Edward Charles Stuart Baker (1864 1944) was a British ornithologist and police officer. After being educated at Trinity College he entered the Indian Police Force in 1883, rising to the rank of Inspector-General. He spent most of his service in Assam, which provided him with the great opportunity of observing the wild life. He catalogued the birds of India and produced the second edition of the Fauna of British India which included the introduction of trinomial nomenclature. This exceptional account of the duck species was the result of the author's long experience in India. The description of the birds is accompanied by many excellent fieldnotes and a series of coloured plates drawn by Keuelemans. The work represents a unique in-depth insight into the duck world, almost a birdwatcher's guide to the identification, habitat and habits of the member of the duck family in India. The present work is essentially a new one and a corrected and up-to-date edition of the original papers which Baker published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society between 1898 and 1900. Seller Inventory # 2513
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